SS. Simon and Jude-Westland

We recently visited and attended mass at SS. Simon and Jude Catholic church. SS. Simon and Jude is centrally located in the city of Westland in a working class neighborhood.

At the entrance of the church is a large gathering area. It features a sitting area where parishioners can relax, enjoying reading or engage in prayer and reflection. It sets a positive and uplifting tone for parishioners and visitors as they attend mass at SS. Simon and Jude.

From the gathering area you enter the church. The first thing you see is a beautiful baptismal font. A small altar is located in the very center of the church; giving it a place of honor and respect. Beyond the altar is the lectern. The church is arranged so that the baptismal font, altar and lectern are lined up in the center of the church. Together they symbolize putting God and our faith first in our lives from birth to eternal life with our Heavenly Father.

SS. Simon and Jude is beautifully decorated both inside and outside. As you enter the church you are greeted by statutes of St. Simon and St. Jude. The Stations of the Cross are artfully portrayed on pewabic tiles. These tiles add another dimension of beauty and grace to the church. Another thing that adds a sense of beauty to SS. Simon and Jude are the large picture windows around the church.  These windows are the “eyes” to the beautiful and serene grounds surrounding SS. Simon and Jude.  The beautifully decorated church and grounds of SS. Simon and Jude offer a prayerful and peaceful respite from any trial or tribulation you may be experiencing.

Fr. Gerard Bechard has been the pastor at SS. Simon and Jude for over 20 years. He engages his congregation in his homily and really takes time to know them. During our visit he spent the first 5 minutes or so greeting guests, including ourselves and giving homage to those celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and other significant life events. He personally welcomed back a few parishioners who had been away due to illness and gave blessings to those about to leave for various reasons (i.e. school, military service). The parishioners responded positively to Fr. Bechard’s warmth and friendliness.

We carried away from our journey to SS. Simon and Jude a good and positive feeling. Fr. Bechard and the parishioners were warm, friendly and very welcoming.  The beauty of the church and the people will remain with us as we continue of journey to the Catholic Churches of the Detroit Archdiocese.

Up Next: Our Lady of Victory-Northville

Statute of St. Jude on church grounds

This large cross looms large over SS. Simon and Jude

The gathering area at SS. Simon and Jude

The lectern and altar (in the background)

The sacristy at SS. Simon and Jude

A view of the grounds surrounding SS. Simon and Jude

The altar at SS. Simon and Jude

The altar with the lectern in the background

SS. Simon and Jude

SS Simon and Jude Catholic Church

St. Margaret of Scotland-St. Clair Shores

St. Margaret of Scotland is located on 13 Mile Road in St. Clair Shores in a very non-descript building. It is not unlike many other churches we have visited in the past year and a half. However, once inside, it takes on a life and personality all its own.

When you enter St. Margaret of Scotland you pretty much enter the church itself save for small gathering areas at each entrance that are used to store the bulletin and other reading materials.

Inside the church the altar is made of oak and marble. Directly behind the altar is a large statute of Jesus with His hands out-stretched. This statute is unique in that it is not of Jesus on the cross. Instead, it appears as if Jesus were walking toward you as if He were about to greet you.

The congregation of St. Margaret of Scotland is made up of a mix of seniors, families and young singles. They sit around the altar in cushioned seats with no kneelers.  Another unique feature of the church is the stadium like seating to the right of the altar. The seats ascend up 12 rows and looks like something you would see in a movie theater or sports complex. I am guessing that the 12 row of seats may represent the 12 disciples of Jesus.

Fr. Ron DeHondt is the current pastor at St. Margaret of Scotland.  This week he greeted his congregation with a hearty “God is good!” To which the enthusiastic reply was “All the time!” The homily for this mass was given by Deacon Ronald Channell. It was a somber yet inspiring homily about the deacon’s encounter with his friend; a homeless alcoholic and the lessons learned from him.

St. Margaret of Scotland was an English princess who lived from 1045 to 1093. She married Malcolm the III of Scotland and became the mother of three Kings. Margaret instigated religious reforms in Scotland and influenced her husband and children to be just and holy rulers.  St. Margaret was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1250 in recognition of her personal holiness, fidelity to the church, work for religious reform and charity. Her feast day is November 16.

Up Next: Saint Simon and Jude-Westland

Signage for St. Margaret's

 Bell Tower in front of St. Margaret's

 Front of church

 Front Entrance of church

 Wall statutes

 Statute of Jesus

 The altar at St. Margaret

 Baptismal font at St. Margaret's

 Side view of altar

 Jesus with his hands out-stretched

 Fr. DeHondt with Alejandro and Carmen

 Fr. DeHondt with Steven and Maria

St.Mary Magdalen-Hazel Park

St. Mary Magdalen in Hazel Park was founded in 1928 but we were impressed when we walked into this church and found it to be a very modern and updated church.

When we entered the church vestibule we were greeted by some of the churches friendly ushers. Once inside you couldn’t help but be impressed with the very open and modern feel to the church. We especially noticed that there weren’t a lot of statutes and relics that can sometimes make a church feel cluttered and overwhelming.  The altar was simply made of pure oak with a glass and oak wall background. The pews have been replaced with cushioned seats with kneelers.  Everything worked together to lend a very elegant look to the church. In all, St. Mary Magdalen is a very comfortable and relaxed place to attend mass.

We were very impressed with the relaxed and stress free atmosphere at St. Mary Magdalen. The feeling in this church is one of lightness and openness as in a place to let go, to unburden your soul and to free yourself of all your worries, fears and doubts.  In other words; a place to “let go and let God!”

Mary Magdalen was one of the most important woman disciples in the movement of Jesus.  According to Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9 she was a follower of Jesus who was specified by name as a witness to 3 key events; they were Jesus’ crucifixion, his burial and the discovery of his tomb to be empty.  Her feast day is July 22.

We visited St. Mary Magdalen for Palm Sunday mass. Fr. Bede Louzon led the mass and participated in the Palm Sunday gospel reading along with 2 lecturers. Fr. Louzon was humorous and even did a pretty decent job of leading the congregation in the singing of the hymns.

We were extremely impressed with St. Mary Magdalen. It was a very warm and inviting place to worship and we felt right at home with the rest of this community of disciples.

Up Next: St. Margaret of Scotland-St. Clair Shores.

Church Steeple

Front entrance to St. Mary Magdalen

Sign for St. Mary Magdalen

Front doors to St. Mary Magdalen

Stained glass inside St. Mary Magdalen

The Priest's chair

More stained glass windows

The altar at St. Mary Magdalen

Baptismal font at St. Mary Magdalen

St. Veronica's Eastpointe

St. Veronica’s is a neighborhood church located in the southwest part of the working class community of Eastpointe.  Apparently, there is not much known about the churches patron saint; in fact there is no record of where or when St. Veronica was actually born.

According to tradition when St Veronica (actually Bernice) saw Jesus fall beneath the weight of the cross he carried to his crucifixion she was so moved with pity that she used her veil to wipe the blood and sweat from his face. Later, when she returned home the veil was imprinted with an image of Christ’s face.

This scene is depicted at St. Veronica’s church with a painting over the altar of the church that shows her holding a veil with the image of Jesus on it. As you walk down the center aisle of the church that leads up to the altar a large crucifixion hangs from the rafters of the church. These images help to convey the message that Jesus suffered and died so that our sins may be forgiven.

We arrived early for our mass at St. Veronica’s and thus were able to participate in the Rosary service that took place before the mass. This was a great way to help us feel closer to God and to share our faith with the people of St. Veronica’s.  

Fr. Stanley Pachla, the pastor, at St. Veronica’s used references to current events in his homily to compare them to the story of Noah and the 40 days and nights of rain and flooding. The comparisons helped to bring meaning and understanding to the story and to his homily.

St. Veronica’s was founded in 1926, it’ congregation is mostly made up of seniors, many of whom have been a part of the Eastpointe community their entire lives. There were also several families at the mass many of them carrying on family traditions of attending St. Veronica’s. St. Veronica’s also has an active youth group and men’s club that helps give the church a youthful vibrancy and makes it a lively and essential part it’s community.

During our visit to St. Veronica’s we met many wonderful people who shared our faith in God’s goodness and blessings. This helped make our visit to St. Veronica’s special and memorable.

 Up Next: St. Mary Magdelen-Hazel Park

St. Veronica's in Eastpointe

Patron Saint of St. Veronica's on church grounds

Front of Church

Painting of St. Veronica holding veil with image of

Jesus

Crucifixion that hangs from rafters. In the background

is painting of St. Veronica with veil of Jesus



 Statute of St. Veronica

We enjoyed our visit to St. Veronica's

Corpus Christi-Detroit

Corpus Christi Catholic Church came into being in 2006 with the merger of St. Gerard and Immaculate Heart of Mary parishes in Northwest Detroit.  We attended a mass at the old St. Gerard’s church building.

The first thing that impressed us about Corpus Christi was the overwhelming friendliness of the parishioners and staff. Many of them came up to us and gave us a hearty welcome and thanked us for visiting their church. It said that the people make the church and the people of Corpus Christi have made their church a truly blessed place to worship and give praise in God’s name!

Corpus Christi is a small church. When you enter at the side doors you come into the gathering area which then leads directly into the church. In the church the altar is the main focus of the room. It is simply decorated which gives it an aura of beauty and elegance.  On either side of the church there are a series of stained glass windows which depict various bible verses with Love and Courage themes.  They are interspersed with pictures of the Stations of the Cross.

Corpus Christi is a multi-cultural parish that has opened its heart and soul to persons of all races and nationalities. This was most evident by the African-American art work that is prevalent around the church. It can be truly said that everyone can feel welcome at Corpus Christi.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Corpus Christi. Fr. Don Archambault came up to us personally to thank us for visiting as did many of the parishioners. It is quite gratifying to know that so many people of all races and ages come together each week to make  Corpus Christi a viable church community and to show that the Catholic church is alive and well in the city of Detroit.

Up Next: St. Veronica-Eastpointe.

Baptismal Fountain at Corpus Christi

Statute of Jesus giving aide to the less fortunate

 Artwork inside Corpus Christi.

Artwork inside Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Detroit

The altar at Corpus Christi Parish

Entrance to Corpus Christi Catholic Church

St. Anne Warren

St. Anne’s parish, located on Mound Road in Warren, was founded in 1945. It was named for the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus. In addition to being the mother of the Virgin Mary, St. Anne recently became the patron saint of Detroit, MI. She is also known as the patron saint of grandmothers, housewives and cabinet makers among others.

St. Anne’s looms large over Mound Road at the front (main entrance) to the church there are 3 large double doors. Each of the doors has a large cross on it and over the doors there are 3 “sayings” etched in stone. The first one states “My Soul Magnifies the Lord”. This is from the Magnificat or “Prayer of Mary” which is found in Luke 1:46-55. My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior…The second saying is “I will go on to the altar of God”. This is from Psalm 43:4-There I will go to the altar of God, to God the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp my O God, my God. The third saying is “Was a just man”. This refers to Joseph (husband of Mary) from Matthew 1:19-And her husband, Joseph, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example decided to put her away quietly.

Inside St. Anne’s the altar can be seen from the front and from both sides. On one side of the altar there is a statute of Jesus with his hands out stretched as if welcoming everyone to his home.  A portrait of St. Anne adorns the wall on the opposite of the altar. She appears to be looking out on the congregation in the protective way mothers often do.

The church is adorned with many works of religious art including statutes and portraits of Jesus, Mary and St. Anne. The music ministry is located in a loft at the back of the church and music of the service flows down on among the congregation right up to the altar filling the church with the Lord’s hymns and prayers.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to St. Anne’s in Warren.  We found it to be a most welcoming and friendly church and the people to be polite and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Up Next: Corpus Christi-Detroit

Cross on top of St. Anne in Warren

View of Cross from the side  

Front of church looking out on Mound Road 

Another view from the front of the church 

Saying etched over the first set of double doors 

Saying etched over the middle doors 

Saying over the 3rd set of doors

Some of the art work that adorns St. Anne's

The altar at St Annes

The welcoming arms of Jesus

St. Anne, patron saint of this church

View of the altar from the side pews 

Statute of Mary

Touring St. Anne's in Warren

Carmen and me at St. Anne in Warren