Saturday, March 31, 2018


Province of Detroit


Pope Pius XI created the Province of Detroit in 1937.    The Province consists of the Archdiocese of Detroit and six dioceses in Michigan (Marquette, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Saginaw, Gaylord, and Kalamazoo).  The Province has 1.9 million Catholics, 19 percent of the total population, as of 2015.  In 2000, the Province had 2.2 million Catholics or 23 percent of the total population.  I have visited the cathedral in Lansing, and have seen the cathedrals in Detroit, Saginaw, and Kalamazoo.  I have not seen either of the two basilicas.

Map of the Province



Catholic History of Michigan


The first Europeans to visit Michigan were the Jesuit priests, Charles Raymbault and (now Saint) Isaac Jogues who came as missionaries to the Native Americans living near what is now Sault Ste. Marie in 1641.  Throughout the rest of the 17th Century, other missionaries, such as Marquette, Menard, Allouez, Nouvel, Dollier, and Hennepin, established missions for the conversion of the Native Americans at various locations including Sault Ste. Marie, St. Ignace, Keweenaw Bay, Thunder Bay, Niles, and Saginaw.  The French established a fort at Detroit in 1701.

The British gained control of Michigan by 1761 and as a result, many of the French settlers left and Catholic missionary activity was curtailed.  Michigan became part of the United States following the American Revolution (except for Detroit and Mackinac which remained British until 1796).  Congress created the Northwest Territory in 1787, which included Michigan.  The Lower Peninsula and part of the Upper Peninsula became the Michigan Territory in 1805, which by 1810 only had a population of about 4,800.  By 1820, the population was only 8,100 (including about 2,000 Catholics), but between 1830 and 1840 the population rose from 32,000 to 212,000 as European immigrants settled in Michigan.  All of what is now Michigan became the 26th State in 1837.

Pope Gregory XVI created the Diocese of Detroit in 1833.  Detroit then was Michigan’s capital and largest city (with over 2,000 people).  The Diocese initially included what are now the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and parts of North and South Dakota.  Pope Pius IX established the Vicariate Apostolic of Upper Michigan in 1853, which became, respectively, the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie in 1857, the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette in 1865 and the Diocese of Marquette in 1937.  Pope Leo XIII made southwestern Michigan the Diocese of Grand Rapids in 1882.  Michigan’s population grew from 2.4 million in 1900 to 5.3 million in 1940 and in response, Pope Pius XI raised Detroit to an Archdiocese in 1937 and created the Dioceses of Lansing in 1937 and Saginaw in 1938.  By 1970, Michigan’s population has risen to 8.9 million and Pope Paul VI created the Dioceses of Gaylord and Kalamazoo in 1971.

Father Gabriel Richard was born in France in 1767, ordained a Sulpician priest in 1791, and came to the United States in 1792.  After serving in Illinois, he was transferred to Ste. Anne’s Church in Detroit in 1798 and he would remain in Detroit (with one brief exception) for over 30 years.  Father Richard brought the first printing press to Michigan and in 1809 published a newspaper, which was the first in Michigan and the first Catholic newspaper in the United States.  In 1817, he co-founded what is now the University of Michigan—he served as vice president and taught classes in six of the university’s 13 departments.  He was elected in 1823 to represent the Michigan Territory in the U.S. House of Representatives—the first Catholic priest so honored.  Many expected him to be named the first Bishop of Detroit, but he died during a cholera epidemic in 1832, six months before Detroit became a diocese.

Archdiocese of Detroit


The Archdiocese of Detroit consists of six counties in southeastern Michigan. The Archdiocese has 1.2 million Catholics (29 percent of the total population) in 226 parishes as of 2015.

Bishops of Detroit

Frederick J. C. Rese (1791-1871) 
·         Born in Germany and ordained a priest in Europe in 1823.
·         First Bishop of Detroit (1833-1871).

Rese came to the United States in 1825 to serve the Diocese of Cincinnati.  As the first Bishop of Detroit (he was the first German-born American bishop), he governed a diocese that included Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and part of the Dakotas.  There were 8 churches and one mission served by 11 priests.  He established Holy Trinity Church in Detroit for English-speaking Catholics, and other new parishes and schools.  He built a hospital and other charitable institutions, and brought the Poor Clares to establish a convent and school.  By 1838, there were about 22,000 Catholics in the Diocese, half of whom were French-speaking.  He went to Europe in 1838 and in 1840 agreed to accept Peter Lefevere as coadjutor bishop and apostolic administrator.  Rese suffered from mental illness (perhaps caused by alcohol abuse) and faced financial difficulties in Detroit.  He officially remained Bishop of Detroit, although he remained in Europe until his death in 1871.

Bishop Lefevere became coadjutor bishop and apostolic administrator of Detroit in 1841, although he never became Bishop of Detroit because he died before Bishop Rese.  Bishop Lefevere took over a Diocese that (by 1843) included only the State of Michigan and had 24,000 Catholics, served by 30 churches and 18 priests.  Lefevere established fiscal control in the Diocese and opened a seminary.  He brought in religious orders to open schools and charitable institutions, including St. Joseph's Retreat in Dearborn, which was run by the Daughters of Charity and was Michigan's first and the nation's second hospital to care exclusively for the mentally ill.  He also established a Diocesan newspaper (now the Michigan Catholic) and was one of the bishops primarily responsible for the American College at Louvain in Belgium—a seminary to train European men to serve as priests in America and to offer training to American priests.  He also gained control of church property under an 1867 Michigan law.  He died in 1869 at which time there were 150,000 Catholics in the Diocese, 80 churches, and 88 priests.

Casper H. Borgess (1826-1890) 
  • Born in Germany and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cincinnati in 1848.
  • Served as coadjutor bishop and apostolic administrator of Detroit (1870-1871).
  •  Bishop of Detroit (1871-1887).
Bishop Borgess served as apostolic administrator of Detroit from 1870 to 1871.  Bishop Borgess helped establish what is now the University of Detroit Mercy and SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary.  He also established the Diocese’s first St. Vincent de Paul Society in 1871 at St. Patrick’s Church.  He attempted to increase the number of U.S.-born priests and bring discipline to all of his priests, which sometimes caused conflict with European-born priests who made up almost half of his clergy.  He also fought the Michigan legislature over its attempts to force lay control of parishes and he established the first Diocesan school board.  At the time of his resignation in 1887, due to poor health, the Diocese, reduced in size by the creation of the Dioceses of Grand Rapids and what is now Marquette, had 120,000 Catholics served by about 90 churches and 60 schools.  

John S. Foley (1833-1918) 
·         Born in Baltimore and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1856.
·         Bishop of Detroit (1888-1918).

Bishop Foley was Detroit’s first American-born bishop and he led the Diocese for 30 years during a time when whites came from Europe and African-Americans came from the South to work in Detroit’s new automotive industry.  He established the Diocese’s first Eastern-rite Catholic parish (St. John the Baptist) in 1908 and the first African American parish (St. Peter Claver) in 1911.  He also helped establish the League of Catholic Women in 1906 and what is now Marygrove College in 1910.  At the time of Foley’s death, the Diocese had 386,000 Catholics served by 318 priests, 246 churches, and 102 parish schools.  Bishop Foley’s older brother, Thomas, served as apostolic administrator and coadjutor bishop of Chicago.  Foley died in 1918.

Michael J. Gallagher (1866-1937)
·         Born in Auburn, Michigan, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Rapids in 1893.
·         Served as coadjutor bishop of Grand Rapids (1915-1916) and Bishop of Grand Rapids (1916-1918).
·         Bishop of Detroit (1918-1937).

Bishop Gallagher established a central office for control of the Diocese’s schools and set standards for teachers and teaching materiel.  He and the other Michigan bishops successfully fought efforts to amend the state constitution to require all students to attend public schools.  He also established Sacred Heart Seminary and the Diocese’s first Catholic Youth Organization.  He established 105 new parishes—33 for non-English speakers—as well as hospitals and colleges.  Gallagher recruited priests from outside the Diocese, and in 1926, he ordained Father Norman Dukette as the first African-American priest in Detroit.  He also facilitated the opening of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and started a ministry to Mexican migrant workers.  He died in 1937 at which time there were 602,000 Catholics in the Diocese served by 800 priests.

Archbishops of Detroit

Edward F. Mooney (1882-1958)
·         Born in Maryland and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1909.
·         Also served as apostolic delegate to India (1926-1931), apostolic delegate to Japan (1931-1933) and Bishop of Rochester, New York (1933-1937).
·         First Archbishop of Detroit (1937-1958).
·         He given the personal title of Archbishop in 1926 and was named a Cardinal in 1946.

Cardinal Mooney became Archbishop during a time when autoworkers were trying to unionize their plants and Mooney clearly sided with labor in the right to unionize.  He was a proponent of social justice and sought to improve the lives of working class Americans.  He also faced a problem with one of his priests, Father Charles Coughlin, who had developed a large following with his weekly radio program and newspaper.  By the time Mooney became Archbishop, Coughlin had become an anti-Semite and a harsh critic of President Franklin Roosevelt, and Mooney ordered his silence.  Mooney opened St. John Provincial Seminary and helped establish Mercy College and Madonna College.  The Archdiocese’s population grew to 1.3 million during Mooney’s time as Archbishop, and he opened 100 new parishes and many other Catholic institutions, including family service centers, and homes for those with special needs, but also put the Archdiocese on a firm financial basis.  He served as chairman of the National Catholic Welfare Conference (now the National Conference of Catholic Bishops) from 1937 to 1945.  Cardinal Mooney died in 1958.

John F. Dearden (1907-1988) 
·         Born in Rhode Island and ordained a priest in 1932 for the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio.
·         Served as coadjutor bishop of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, (1948-1950) and Bishop of   Pittsburgh (1950-1958).
·         Archbishop of Detroit (1958-1980).
·         Pope Paul VI named him a Cardinal in 1969.

Dearden was very involved in the Second Vatican Council.  He helped plan it and he spoke often during the Council.  After the Council, he was a national leader in implementing the Council’s decrees, especially for the use of English during Mass and for improving ecumenical outreach.  As Archbishop, he established a committee to address race relations, conferences to inform the clergy, the religious, and the laity about the Second Vatican Council and to get their opinions on how to implement the Council’s decrees, and he ordained the Archdiocese’s first permanent deacons.  He founded the Michigan Catholic Conference and led the Archdiocese to become the first U.S. diocese to embrace equal employment opportunity.  Due to financial strains, he closed several parish schools, but worked to improve health care and education in Detroit after the 1967 riots.  He also established programs to improve adult education.  He served as president of what is now the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1966 to 1971.  Cardinal Dearden retired in 1980.  People attending his funeral in 1988 gave him a ten-minute standing ovation.  

Edmund C. Szoka (1927-2014)  
  • Born in Grand Rapids and became a priest for the Diocese of Marquette in 1954.
  • Served as the first Bishop of Gaylord (1971-1981)
  • Archbishop of Detroit (1981-1990).
  • He was named a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
  • Later served as President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See (1990-1997) and as President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State (1997-2006). 
Cardinal Szoka established an Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council and reorganized the Archdiocesan Tribunal.  He created the Pastoral Telecommunications Center and the Catholic Television Network, which brings the Faith to almost one million subscribers.  In order to ensure the Archdiocese’s financial stability, Szoka closed 33 parishes, but he opened some as well, including parishes for Catholics originally from Albania, Korea, and Uganda.  He also ordained the Archdiocese’s first African-American auxiliary bishop, Moses Anderson.  Cardinal Szoka was appointed President of the Vatican’s Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See in 1990.

Adam J. Maida (born 1930) 
  • Born in Pennsylvania and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1956.
  • Served as Bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin (1983-1990).
  • Archbishop of Detroit (1990-2009).
  • Pope John Paul II named him a Cardinal in 1994.
Cardinal Maida restructured Sacred Heart Seminary and opened St. John Center for Youth and Family on the grounds of the former St. John Provincial Seminary.  He established an educational endowment program—Stewards for Tomorrow, renovated Most Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, and developed a pastoral plan for Hispanic Catholics.  He dealt with the clergy sexual abuse scandal and wrote a pastoral letter on assisted suicide to counter a Michigan man’s campaign in favor of such an act.  He retired in 2009.

Current Archbishop

Allen H. Vigneron was appointed Archbishop of Detroit by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.  He was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan, in 1948 and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1975.  He previously served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1996-2003), coadjutor bishop of Oakland, California (2003), and Bishop of Oakland (2003-2009).  As Archbishop of Detroit, Vigneron also serves as superior of the Mission "Sui Juris" of The Cayman Islands.  

The Cathedral


Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament
9844 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, Michigan  48202

The Blessed Sacrament refers specifically to the Sacrament of the Eucharist.  Christians believe that Jesus turned bread and wine into his Body and Blood at the Last Supper.  Each Catholic Mass commemorates this great gift from God.

Most Holy Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.

When Bishop Rese became the first Bishop of Detroit in 1833, he selected Ste. Anne’s Church, then located on Bates Street, to be his Cathedral.  Ste. Anne’s is the oldest Catholic parish in Detroit, started in 1701 by Frenchmen led by Antoine de Cadillac (the founder of Detroit).  The current Ste. Anne’s was built in 1886 and is located on Ste. Anne Street.  Bishop Lefevere made the newly built SS. Peter and Paul church, located at Jefferson and St. Antoine, to be his Cathedral, in 1848.  Bishop Borgess gave this church to the Jesuits in 1877 to start what is now the University of Detroit-Mercy.  (SS. Peter and Paul is the oldest church building in Detroit.)  St. Aloysius Church on Washington Boulevard then served as the Diocese’s pro-Cathedral.  (This building was torn down in 1930 and replaced with the current St. Aloysius Church.)  St. Patrick’s church on Adelaide Street became the new Cathedral in 1890.  (St. Patrick’s parish closed in 1973 and the church was destroyed by an arsonist in 1993.)






The top two pictures are of St. Anne from Wikipedia and Flickr.  The bottom two are from the SS. Peter and Paul website.

Most Blessed Sacrament parish was established in 1905 to serve Catholics who then lived just north of the Detroit city limits.  The first pastor, John Connolly, selected Henry Walsh of Cleveland to design the parish church.  Construction began in 1913 and the exterior was completed two years later, except for the twin spires.  Because of the cost, it would take until 1930 to complete the interior.  In 1938, one year after Detroit was raised to an archdiocese, Most Blessed Sacrament became the Archbishop’s Cathedral.  The Cathedral, with its new spires, each with four pinnacles, was consecrated in 1951.  The Cathedral hosted a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1987.  Renovations took place in the 1950s and in the early 21st Century.

Most Blessed Sacrament Cathedral is built in a Norman Gothic style and is made of Ohio sandstone and Indiana limestone.  The Plaza outside of the front entrance has the name of every parish in the Archdiocese carved in granite on plaza walls.  Above the entrance are life-sized statues of saints and a rose window.  There are five bays on each side of the Cathedral separated by flying buttresses and each containing a large Gothic window.  A spire also rises from the center of the Cathedral.  The vaulted interior is made of marble and stone.




The top picture is from Flickr, the second from Wikipedia, and the last from the Cathedral website.

The Cathedral website at one time had a detailed description of the Cathedral including the Christian symbolism behind many of the architectural details.  I do not usually provide this much detail, but since this information seems to have disappeared from the website (referenced below), I will include it all. 

[Begin quote] From the creation experience of the plaza, the slight incline of the walkway signifies life's uphill journey. Entering the dark, womb-like vestibule of the Cathedral, worshippers pass an evocative, candle-lit shrine to Mary, the mother of all Christians, and the porta coeli, the welcoming gate of Heaven. Through the vestibule doors, pilgrims are drawn from the dark into the light of the worship space. One of the integral elements in the redesign of the Cathedral is the experience of light in a new way - the light that unifies and animates all creation. 

With walls now pierced by reflective glass prisms, light replaces the fortress-like darkness of the original Gothic design. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone (Isaiah 9:1). Now, no matter the time of day or the season, those inside the Cathedral are never shut off from an awareness of the rhythm and reality of the world outside. The sunlight that enters the upper part of the nave gives life to the antique stained glass windows. These windows celebrate the history of the Church and the glory of the saints. The same light that makes history come alive, pours through the lower nave in a pure, direct way, expressing God's grace in this particular moment of time - light ever ancient, ever new. The Cathedral illumination is reversed at night through the use of prism transparencies. Thus when darkness falls outside, the lights of the Cathedral's interior project outward to the street, alerting and inviting passerby to the life inside. 

The baptismal font carved deep into the floor of the main aisle momentarily halts the journey into the worship space. Its placement is deliberate - even confrontational. Before anyone enters into "sacred mysteries" they must first reject the darkness of sin and experience the regenerative power of baptism. In the early days of Christianity, this baptismal ablution was called "illumination." The power of this font is meant to recapture some of that experience of enlightenment for all who enter the Cathedral. Like the pillar of fire that led God's chosen people on their journey through the desert, the paschal candle towers over the baptismal font. It spreads its light over this full immersion pool shaped to mirror the anatomy of the person descending into these regenerative waters. As the rock gave water to God's people in the desert, the upright stone basin supplies circulating water for the font. It also provides a place for infants to be baptized and allows others to sign themselves with the blessed water reminding them of their own baptism.  

In the sanctuary, five strong, white stone mountain-range formations rise from the floor of the Cathedral marking specific areas for liturgical activity. These rock-like focus points are intended to recall Christ's promise to Peter: I for my part declare to you, you are 'rock', and on this rock I will build my Church and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). In the center of the sanctuary are: the altar, the axis for the entire building; the ambo, the elevated bema, from which the Scriptures are proclaimed; and the cathedra, or chair of the archbishop, from which the building derives its name. The mountain formations here, made from Italian Botticino Fiorito stone, are meant to evoke Mount Tabor near Nazareth, the traditional site of the Transfiguration. The scriptural accounts of the Lord's Transfiguration give testimony to Christ's glory being manifest in light. Just as the disciples were drawn into the privileged moment of the Transfiguration, so too are those who come to worship in this Cathedral. A double ramp provides a barrier-free approach to the altar. The stone inlay floor of the sanctuary replicates the one originally installed a half-century ago, and from a distance reads like colorful glacial scree that builds up at the base of a mountain range. 

The ambo, the highest area of the sanctuary used during the liturgy, is the place from where the Word of the Lord is proclaimed. The word "ambo" is derived from the Greek verb, amabainein, which means, "to go up." The shape and size of the new ambo recalls the elevated pulpits found in cathedrals built during the Romanesque and Middle Ages. It is from this point the faithful are called to listen and to make a covenant with God. The height of this platform is meant to provide better visibility of the lector/homilist and better audibility for the important words spoken from there. Signifying the dignity of the activity that takes place at the ambo, the steps, as well as the book stand, are rosewood. A state-of-the-art sound reinforcement system has been created for the Cathedral to compensate for acoustic problems inherent in the space. 

Opposite the ambo is the cathedra, the oldest insignia of a bishop's teaching office. The chair is the sign that he, like the apostles and prophets, is invested with the authority to preside over God's people. As Moses witnessed the transfiguration, this "seat of Moses" stands as an ancient sign of leadership. From here, the archbishop brings insight to the Scriptures as he preaches, teaches and presides as chief celebrant of the Eucharist. Speaking and acting ex cathedra (from the chair), the archbishop proclaims Christ as the light of humankind … a light that shines on in the darkness of a troubled world. The rosewood outline gives the cathedra a more human dimension. The archbishop's personal coat of arms above the chair signals he is the proper and only occupant of this seat. Upholstery in bright red, the heraldic color of a cardinal, further defines this chair of office. 

The center of the sanctuary mountain-peak formations commands attention to the stone and glass altar. In a building named for the Most Blessed Sacrament, it is appropriate that the altar is the focal point of the worship space. The placement of the altar was the initial step in the design process. The word "altar" comes from the Latin adolere, which means, "to burn." It is a reminder that ancient sacrifices to God were usually immolated, i.e., burnt offerings. According to Old and New Testament customs, the altar is fashioned as a table of sacrifice, as well as the paschal banquet table. Like a table, the altar has four legs that carry the solid-stone slab mensa. Beneath the mensa are four sand-cast cruciform pieces of glass illuminated from within. This glass also contains saints' relics from the previous altars in the Cathedral. In addition to these relics, Cardinal Maida added the relics of three recently canonized saints: Elizabeth Ann Seaton, Katharine Drexel and Faustina Kowalski. Because the altar is Christ, it is seen to radiate as the face of Jesus did at His Transfiguration. The words of the liturgy of the dedication of an altar confirm this image: Light of Christ, shine on this altar and be reflected by those who share at this table. As a table where the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated, the Cathedral altar is a permanent fixture worthy of bearing the weight of so great a mystery. It is open and accessible from all sides allowing the faithful to gather in thanksgiving and receive the body and blood of Christ. The carved wood crucifix suspended over the altar was originally hung in the Cathedral as a memorial to those who gave their lives in World War I. The position of the crucifix also references the sacrificial mountain of Calvary.  

One of the goals of the most renovation was to provide a special place for the tabernacle and personal prayer in the Cathedral whose name honors the abiding presence of Christ in the Eucharist. A sanctuary lamp announces the Eucharistic Reservation Chapel from the main nave. This ever-burning lamp, cradled in limestone, is a reminder of the words of the Easter Vigil proclamation: the light that no darkness can extinguish. A second sanctuary lamp hangs dramatically from the chapel ceiling, further emphasizing the Lord's abiding presence. Directly on axis with the altar, the peaks of the mountain-like formation begun in the sanctuary reach over the tabernacle. The word "tabernacle" is taken from the Latin word for tent. Peter offered to set up a tent on Mount Tabor to house the transfigured Christ. This chapel recalls that event with carved French Caen stone statues of Christ and those mentioned in the Transfiguration account: Christ, Peter, James, John, Moses and Elijah. St. Paul, who experienced a conversion in a blinding light and whose epistles contain so much about the importance of the Eucharist for the early Christian community, is also given the honor of being represented as part of this gathering. The statues are taken from the original reredos of the apse. Mary, Joseph and other saints are honored on the sidewalls in carved Caen reredos relocated from the former side altars. The restored cedar coffered ceiling harkens back to the architecture of the Jerusalem temple built by Solomon. In this setting, the tabernacle recalls that ancient image of a "house" for the divine presence. To accommodate personal prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, this chapel is also accessible through a separate entrance. 

At the right of the cathedra, there is another reservation area, crafted out of the same Botticino stone of the other mountain-like formations. This triple peak holds the three vessels of holy oils. Called "the ambry," from the Latin word for armory, this is the storehouse from which these oils, meant to provide God's protection, are dispensed to all the parishes in the Archdiocese. The archbishop is the chief consecrator of these oils. Locating them next to his cathedra symbolizes that all the pastoral care of the Archdiocese is, in a certain way, connected to his apostolic office. These three oils are the spiritual resources for initiating new members (oil of catechumens), for healing (oil of the sick) and consecrating churches, altars, and sacred ministers (Chrism). 

The Cathedral is a place where direction can be given and reconciliation can begin. Carved into the northeast wall of the Cathedral is an opening that leads a penitent to two confessionals, or reconciliation chapels. Another peak of Botticino stone announces this location in the Cathedral. Amply sized and brightly lit, these rosewood-lined rooms are soundproof, and allow penitents to choose anonymity or a face-to-face dialogue with the confessor. The oblique angles of these rooms repeat the design of the sanctuary while expressing the uniqueness of every act of reconciliation that takes place within. Original sculptures of the crucified Christ grace the walls of each of these rooms. 

Those who have come to worship at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral may want to hold onto the experience in much the same way the disciples did after observing the transfigured Christ on Mount Tabor. Speaking for the group, Peter wanted to set up tents so he and the others could spend more time on the holy mountain. With this in mind, the newly crafted porches and walkways are intended to give the worshipper the sheltered space they need to linger and interact with those who have shared the same sacramental experience. Even the newly configured parking plan allows for better human interaction. Those visiting or passing by the Cathedral at night are struck by the dramatic exterior lighting piercing the darkness. The freshly cleaned rock-faced ashlar sandstone from Ohio and the smooth-faced carved details of the Indiana limestone exterior of the Cathedral now glisten in the sunlight and in the artificial light that is poured on it at night. At the apex of all this golden-glowing stone is the soaring copper fleche, which is illuminated after sunset, making it far brighter than the rest of the building. This spire is directly above the Cathedral altar and serves as a beacon to the neighborhood of the promise of the Blessed Sacrament, the presence of Christ who is forever the Light of the World. 

Christ's light and life shines into Blessed Sacrament Cathedral through the craftsmanship of William Willet. This artisan, known for reviving and perfecting rich colors in transparent stained glass, was commissioned to create the 22 large Medieval-styled windows throughout the church building. A century ago, the prevailing taste in ecclesiastical windows was for opalescent glass. Willet thought this went against the primary reason for a window's existence, the admission of sunlight. He rediscovered a technique used in the Middle Ages called the "pot metal process," which produced very deep colors without inhibiting transparency. By dissolving certain metal oxides into glass in its liquid state, he learned the molecular structure of the solution absorbs wavelengths of certain colors. Particles of gold, for example, dispersed in the glass, give it a ruby red color. Iron oxide, on the other hand, makes glass read green. The color process Willet perfected technically and aesthetically was such an improvement over what was being produced at the time, it sparked a new age of stained glass and gave the Willet Studios in Philadelphia an international reputation. Blessed Sacrament Cathedral contains Willet's earliest and finest work. His Life of Christ and the Early Church series of windows in the clerestory begin with the Nativity in the back of the north wall. The work continues around the back apse and finishes in clockwise pattern down the south wall of the nave, where Pentecost is depicted. There is an intentional chronological error in the apse windows where the Lord's Carrying of His Cross on Good Friday is inverted with the Institution of the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday. This was done in order to honor the event in Christ's life from which the Cathedral takes its name. It also draws attention to the altar wherein the Lord's Supper is extended into our time. In lancet windows beneath this New Testament history, the Procession of Saints series of windows depict heroes and heroines from every era of Christendom - those to whom we can look up to with pride. These holy women and men join those assembled on earth in one great communion. The great windows of the north and south apses are arguably Willet's tour de force in this building. The north window, called the Holy Name Window, is an excellent example of how pot metal glass produces rich, jewel-like colors of ruby, amethyst, emerald and sapphire. In order to achieve such depth of color, there may be as many as three layers of pot glass in a single facet. Records indicate this window alone took a year to complete. It depicts the great liturgy at the end of time, wherein Christ will gather around him the souls of the just in an endless symphony of praise. Filling the whole wall of the south apse in the Eucharistic Reservation Chapel is a window depicting the Genealogical Tree of Christ. Mary, the first "tabernacle" for Jesus, is the predominant figure. Beneath her is Solomon holding a model of the "tabernacle" he built in Jerusalem. Willet's use of subdued colors, with pastel and natural tones, give this window a softness unlike all the other windows in the building. The Assumption scene in the front wall and the St. Cecilia Window in the rear complete the windows in this chapel. The Rose Window over the Woodward entrance is entitled Cherubs in Glory. More than 100 small tracery openings are woven of stone and filled with thousands of glass fragments in a brilliant variety of colors ranging from light yellows and golds, flaming into rubies and crimson, finally blending into rich blues and purples. This circular window is best appreciated in the late afternoon, when the sun streams through bathing the interior with a warm glow, reminding the viewer of the glory of the life to come. Willet's inspiration of using sunlight as a "building material" is furthered by the 2003 renovation of the Cathedral and architect Gunnar Birkerts' focus on the use of light both in and outside the church building. 

Blessed Sacrament is a great enough church to house two pipe organs. The original organ is a Casavant Frère. This instrument is the work of the famed French Canadian organ builder, Casavant Frère in St. Hyacinth, Quebec. Frederic Fisher, of the automotive family which still funds its upkeep, donated it to the church in 1925. Its 55 stops of more than 3,500 individual pipes are hidden in chambers behind the stone walls of the choir loft. Built and voiced for the liturgical music of a pre-Vatican II Church, this instrument is at its best when accompanying chants or playing compositions of the Romantic era. Its three manual consoles are each composed of 61 keys and a 31 note pedalboard. The Casavant Organ console is currently being renovated. Old mechanisms are being replaced with solid-state materials. When the renovation is complete, it will be possible to program 99 levels of memory. The Cathedral's second organ was made in the United States. The Austin Organ was built in Hartford, Connecticut. This instrument is designed to support congregational singing. Its crisper sound and its location in the main body of the church are indicative of the different role it plays in our worship today. The Austin Organ has 1,745 pipes and is composed of 32 stops capable of producing an almost limitless number of tonal variations. The largest speaking pipe is about 23 feet long and the smallest about the size of an ordinary lead pencil. Once the renovations of the Casavant Organ are complete, it will be possible to play both organs from the Austin Organ console. Together, these two instruments allow church musicians to convincingly play sacred music from many different musical eras. Rich and sonorous each in their own unique ways, the organs of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral fill its worship space with power and majesty.  [End quote]

Additional information can be obtained on the Cathedral’s website at cathedral.aod.org and on the Archdiocese’s website at aod.org.  The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament is located about three miles northwest of downtown Detroit and has one weekend mass.  Both the Cathedral and Ste. Anne’s church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  






The first two pictures are from the Cathedral website, the third is from Flickr and the last from Wikipedia.

Also located in the Archdiocese

There is one Eastern Rite Catholic cathedral and one basilica in the Archdiocese of Detroit.  Our Lady of Chaldeans Cathedral in Southfield is the Cathedral church for the Chaldean-rite Diocese of Detroit—one of two Chaldean-rite dioceses in the United States.  The diocese ministers to 120,000 Catholics in 8 parishes in Michigan and Illinois.  Eastern Rite cathedrals are discussed elsewhere in my blog.

The Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica is in Royal Oak.  The parish was established in 1926, one year after the canonization of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower.  The Ku Klux Klan burned a cross on the property shortly after the parish was established and the first church later burned to the ground.  The current church was completed in 1936 by Father Charles Coughlin, discussed above, who used the church tower to broadcast his radio program.  The tower incorporates a 28-foot tall crucifix.  The church was designed by Henry McGill of New York in a zig-zag Art Deco style and the main building is made of granite and limestone.  Corrado Parducci created elaborate interior sculptural work, including a lectern and Stations of the Cross, and also did some exterior work.  The Basilica also has hand-painted murals by Beatrice Wilczynski. The octagon-shaped granite baptismal font was designed by liturgical artists Robert Rambusch and Mario Agustin Locsin y Montenegro.  The pipe organ has 6,734 pipes and the basilica incorporates 17 tons of Italian marble in its designs.  The basilica seats 3,000 people.  Pope Francis designated the church as a minor basilica in 2015.  Basilica is an honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship.  The Basilica website, shrinechurch.com, has a virtual tour of the basilica.





The first picture is from the Basilica website, the second and fourth from Wikipedia, and the third from panaramio.

Diocese of Marquette


The diocese consists of the 15 counties in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  The Diocese has 43,000 Catholics (14 percent of the total population) in 72 parishes as of 2015.

Bishops of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette


Frederick Baraga (1797-1868)
·         Born in Slovenia and ordained a priest in Europe in 1823.
·         Vicar Apostolic of Upper Michigan (1853-1857), Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie (1857-1865) and Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette (1865-1868). 

Bishop Baraga was one of the great missionary bishops of the United States.  He came to the United States in 1830 and the following year was sent by Bishop Edward Fenwick of Cincinnati to establish a mission to the Ottawa tribe at what is now Harbor Springs, Michigan.  He spent the next two decades bringing the Faith to the Ottawa and Ojibwe tribes and to other Native Americans throughout Michigan and along the southern shore of Lake Superior, traveling on foot and by canoe during the summer and on snowshoes during the winter.  He wrote several publications in Native American languages, including the first Objibwe grammar and dictionary, catechism, and prayer books.  He wrote many other publications as well—he spoke seven languages—and by the 1840s began to minister to European immigrants who came to the Upper Peninsula to mine iron and copper.  When he became a bishop in 1853, his vicariate apostolic had three churches and two other priests, but he greatly increased both numbers by the time of his death.  He was known for his saintliness throughout his life—he got up every morning at 3:30 a.m., to pray for three hours.  Bishop Baraga died in 1868 and is buried at St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette.  Baraga was raised to the status of Venerable by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012—the second step toward canonization.

Ignatius Mrak (1810-1901) 
·         Born in Slovenia and ordained a priest in Austria in 1837.
·         Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette (1869-1878).

Mrak came to the United States in 1845 and was assigned to the Native American missions in Michigan.  He eventually became vicar general of what is now the Diocese of Marquette and became bishop after the death of Bishop Baraga.  He took over a diocese that had 20,000 Catholics served by 14 priests.  Mrak continued his work with Native American missions, worked to improve the education of his priests, opened schools, and sought lay participation in the administration of parishes.  His health failed and he was allowed to resign as bishop in 1878.  At that time, the Diocese had 27 churches and 20 priests.  He eventually regained his health and returned to the Indian missions where he served for over 15 years.  He spent the last years of his life in Marquette. 

John Vertin (1844-1899)
·         Born in Slovenia and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette in 1866 (the last priest ordained by Bishop Baraga).
·         Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette (1879-1899).

Bishop Vertin built new parishes to keep up population growth caused by ore and timber booms—partially with his own money.  He built the current St. Peter’s Cathedral (after a fire destroyed the previous Cathedral), as well as three high schools and four hospitals.  He also convened a synod in 1889 to implement the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore.  Bishop Vertin died in 1899.

Frederick Eis (1843-1926) 
·         Born in Germany and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette in 1870.
·         Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette (1899-1922).

Bishop Eis convened a Diocesan synod in 1905 and built several hospitals and homes for the needy.  He retired in 1922.

Paul J. Nussbaum C.P. (1870-1935) 
  • Born in Pennsylvania and ordained a Passionist priest in 1894.
  • Served as the first Bishop of Corpus Christi, Texas (1913-1920).
  •  Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie-Marquette (1922-1935).
Bishop Nussbaum served during the Great Depression, which caused significant job losses in the Diocese.  He faced a shortage of priests as well, but recruited other Passionist priests to the Diocese.  Bishop Nussbaum died in 1935.

Bishops of Marquette


Joseph C. Plagens (1880-1943)
·         Born in Poland and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Detroit in 1903.
·         Served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1924-1935).
·         Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette (1935-1937) and first Bishop of Marquette (1937-1940).
·         Later served as Bishop of Grand Rapids (1940-1943).

Bishop Plagens began renovation of the St. Peter’s Cathedral after it was nearly destroyed in a 1935 fire.  He also began a Catholic Youth Organization program for the Diocese.  Plagens was named Bishop of Grand Rapids in 1940.

Francis Magner (1887-1947)
  • Born in Illinois and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1913.
  • Bishop of Marquette (1940-1947).
Bishop Magner started a Diocesan newspaper, promoted the U.S. Laymen's Retreat Association, and created seven catechetical schools.  Bishop Magner died in 1947.

Thomas L. Noa (1892-1977)  
  • Born in Iron Mountain, Michigan, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Rapids in 1916.
  • Served as coadjutor bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, (1946-1947).
  • Bishop of Marquette (1947-1968). 
Bishop Noa started a Diocesan social services program and built dozens of churches, schools, and other buildings.  He also invited the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres to establish their U.S. Motherhouse in Marquette in 1963.  Bishop Noa attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council and he retired in 1968.

Charles A. Salatka (1918-2003)  
  • Born in Michigan and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Rapids in 1945.
  • Served as auxiliary bishop of Grand Rapids (1962-1968)—the first Lithuanian-American to be ordained a bishop in the United States
  • Bishop of Marquette (1968-1977). 
  • Later served as Archbishop of Oklahoma City (1977-1992).
[I have limited information about Bishop Salatka’s time as Bishop of Marquette.]  Salatka was named Archbishop of Oklahoma City in 1977.

Mark F. Schmitt (1923-2011)
  • Born in Wisconsin and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Green Bay in 1948.
  • Served as auxiliary bishop of Green Bay (1970-1978).
  • Bishop of Marquette (1978-1992).
Bishop Schmitt established a lay ministries leadership program and started several programs to advance adult faith education.  He also began a permanent diaconate program and ordained 28 men to the priesthood.  Bishop Schmitt resigned in 1992.

James H. Garland (born 1931) 
·         Born in Ohio and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1959.
·         Served as auxiliary bishop of Cincinnati (1984-1992).
·         Bishop of Marquette (1992-2005).

[I have limited information about Bishop Garland’s time as Bishop of Marquette.]  He retired in 2005.

Alexander K. Sample (born 1960) 
·         Born in Montana and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Marquette in 1990.
·         Bishop of Marquette (2005-2013).
·         Serves as Archbishop of Portland, Oregon (since 2013).

At the time of his consecration, Sample was the youngest Catholic bishop in the United States and the first to be born in the 1960s.  Bishop Sample increased the number of Diocesan seminarians and developed a curriculum for faith formation for grade school students.  Sample was named Archbishop of Portland, Oregon, in 2013.  

Current Bishop

John Doerfler was appointed Bishop of Marquette by Pope Francis in 2013.  He was born in Wisconsin in 1964 and ordained a priest in for the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1991.  He previously served as chancellor and vicar general of the Green Bay diocese.

The Cathedral

St. Peter Cathedral
311 W. Baraga Avenue
Marquette, Michigan  49855 

St. Peter, originally known as Simon, was the first apostle chosen by Jesus.  Peter is frequently mentioned in the New Testament, and we know that he was a fisherman by trade, that he was married, that he was the leader of the apostles, and that he often tried the Lord’s patience.  After the Ascension of our Lord, Peter became the leader of the early church, eventually going to Rome to become the first Bishop of Rome, or Pope.  He was crucified there in approximately 64 A.D.  The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul is celebrated on June 29.

O God, who has given unto Thy blessed Apostle Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and the power to bind and loose: grant that we may be delivered, through the help of this intercession, from the slavery of all our sins:  Who lives and reigns world without end. Amen.

After Bishop Frederick Baraga was named Vicar Apostolic of Upper Michigan in 1853, he selected Holy Name of Mary Church in Sault Ste. Marie as his Cathedral.  It served as the Diocese’s only cathedral until 1865 and served as the co-Cathedral until 1937.  Holy Name parish was established in 1668 and is the oldest Catholic parish in Michigan.  The current church, known now as the Proto-Cathedral, was built in 1881.




Holy Name Church.  The top picture is from the parish website, the second from the Diocesan website, and the third from pinterest.

Also in 1853, Bishop Baraga established Marquette’s first parish—St. Peter.  A small frame church building, which stood on the site of the current Cathedral, was constructed in the late 1850s and became the Diocese’s co-Cathedral in 1865.  It was replaced the following year by a framed Gothic-style building.  This building burned down in 1879.  [It is believed that it was set on fire by some parishioners who were angry that the new bishop, John Vertin, had removed Father John Kenny from his position as Cathedral rector.]  Bishop Vertin soon began construction of the current Cathedral, which was completed in 1890.  The Cathedral has undergone several renovations, including a major reconstruction following a 1935 fire.  Both the Cathedral and Holy Name church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Peter’s Cathedral is a twin-towered Romanesque building, with hints of Gothic.  The walls are made from Marquette sandstone as are the steeple bases.  The upper portion of each steeple is made of brownstone.  Each steeple is capped by a dome and topped with a cross.  Statues of St. Peter and St. Paul are over the entrance to the Cathedral and a stained-glass window just inside shows a guardian angel holding a small St. Peter’s Cathedral.



The top picture is from the Cathedral website and the bottom is from Wikipedia.

The ceiling, 67 feet above the floor, is supported by 24 Romanesque pillars faced with red Scagiola marble.  The floor is made of red clay tiles embossed with Christian symbols.  The large arch over the sanctuary begins and ends with colored marble statues of Mary and Joseph.  Along the arch are symbols of the Trinity, Christ, Mary, Joseph, and the Four Evangelists.  Behind the altar is a large Byzantine mural of Jesus offering the keys of Heaven to St. Peter.  Also shown are the other Apostles with symbols of their life and death.  

The large east transept stained-glass window depicts Christ the King and his symbols, angels, six apostles, two evangelists, and the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.  The large west transept window depicts Mary as Queen of Heaven and many of her symbols, angels, six apostles, two evangelists, and the Sacrament of Matrimony and the Sacrament of the Sick.  The north transept windows, behind the choir loft, depict musical saints:  Cecilia, Ambrose, and Gregory.

The Stations of the Cross are mosaics made of Venetian marble.  The stained-glass windows on the right depict the Mysteries of the Rosary, while those on the left depict scenes from the life of Christ, the lives of the Saints, and other aspects of the Catholic faith.  Along the walls are shrines to St. Anne, Mother of Mary, and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament has a shrine dedicated to St. Theresa of the Little Flower.  Her statue is made of ivory-colored tranny marble, brown Italian onyx, Belgian black marble, and onyx from Portugal.  The base is made of carved red brocato marble and Italian brown onyx.  Stained-glass windows depict six Saintly bishops.  The Chapel also has a statue of St. Anthony of Padua, an icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a Venetian mosaic of  Christ the King, and a mural of the Paschal Lamb of God.  There are also pictures of the Bishops of Marquette.

All of the marble and mosaic pieces in the church were done by Giuseppe Tommasi Studios in Carrara, Italy. Some of the work in the Cathedral is the work of architectural sculptor Corrado Parducci.  Parducci worked on the Louisiana State Capitol and several Michigan buildings including the Fisher Building, the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, the Basilica Shrine of the Little Flower, and the Rackham Memorial Fountain at the Detroit Zoo.

The Cathedral website, stpetercathedral.org, has extensive detail about the details of the Cathedral.  Also see the Diocesan website at dioceseofmarquette.org.  The Cathedral is located in downtown Marquette.  The Cathedral has four weekend masses and one monthly Tridentine Mass.





The top three pictures are from the Cathedral website and the last is from shipview.

Diocese of Grand Rapids


The diocese consists of 11 counties in southwestern Michigan.  The Diocese has 196,000 Catholics (14 percent of the total population) in 82 parishes as of 2015.

Bishops of Grand Rapids

Henry J. Richter (1838-1916)
  • Born in Germany and ordained a priest in Rome in 1865.
  • First Bishop of Grand Rapids (1883-1916).
Bishop Richter organized the new Diocese and established the Seminary of St. Joseph in 1909.  He also helped establish Nazareth College in Kalamazoo and brought in Dominican Sisters from New York to establish an orphanage and Aquinas College in Grand Rapids.  Richter invited the Sisters of Mercy to establish what is now Mercy Health Saint Mary’s Hospital in Grand Rapids and Mercy Health in Muskegon.  During Bishop Richter’s tenure, the number of Catholics in the Diocese increased from 50,000 to 150,000, and Richter was able to increase the number of churches from 33 to 56, the number of schools from 17 to 38, and the number of priests from 36 to 75.  Bishop Richter died after a short illness in 1916.

Michael J. Gallagher (1866-1937)
·         Born in Auburn, Michigan, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Rapids in 1893.
·         Served as coadjutor bishop of Grand Rapids (1915-1916).
·         Bishop of Grand Rapids (1916-1918).
·         Later served as Bishop of Detroit (1918-1937).

Bishop Gallagher served in Grand Rapids only briefly before being named Bishop of Detroit in 1918.

Edward D. Kelly (1860-1926)
·         Born in Hartford, Michigan, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Detroit in 1886.
·         Served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1911-1919).
·         Bishop of Grand Rapids (1919-1926).

Bishop Kelly was a leader in fighting a proposed Michigan law that would have required all students to attend public schools.  He also built a new St. Joseph Seminary in 1919.  Bishop Kelly died in 1926 from either a hemorrhage or an embolism. 

Joseph G. Pinten (1867-1945) 
·         Born in Rockland, Michigan, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Marquette in 1890.
·         Served as Bishop of Superior, Wisconsin (1921-1926).
·         Bishop of Grand Rapids (1926-1940).

Bishop Pinten formed the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women in 1939 and worked to pay off building debts incurred by Bishop Kelly as the Great Depression came.  The Diocese was reduced in size by the creation of the Diocese of Saginaw in 1938.  Poor health forced Bishop Pinten to resign in 1940.

Joseph C. Plagens (1880-1943) 
·         Born in Poland and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Detroit in 1903.
·         Served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1924-1935), Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette (1935-1937), and Bishop of Marquette (1937-1940).
·         Bishop of Grand Rapids (1940-1943).

Bishop Plagens suffered from heart trouble during his short time as Bishop and he died in 1943 of a coronary thrombosis.

Francis J. Haas (1889-1953)
  • Born in Wisconsin and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 1913.
  • Bishop of Grand Rapids (1943-1953).
Bishop Haas obtained a doctor of philosophy degree in economics in 1922 and became a life-long proponent of organized labor.  He was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt to several labor-related boards during the 1930s, served as Dean of Catholic University’s School of Social Science from 1937 to 1943, and served briefly as the Chairman of the federal Fair Employment Practices Committee.  As Bishop, he started a Diocesan newspaper, established two dozen parishes, and built schools and a home for senior citizens.  He held an annual conference to popularize the Church’s social teaching and he served on President Harry Truman’s Committee on Civil Rights.  Bishop Haas died of a heart attack—his third—in 1953.

Allen J. Babcock (1898-1969) 
  • Born in Bad Axe, Michigan, and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1925.
  • Served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1947-1954).
  • Bishop of Grand Rapids (1954-1969).
Bishop Babcock initiated the Diocesan Council of Catholic Men in 1954 and began a televised Sunday Mass in 1955, initially from a set at a television station and later from the Cathedral of St. Andrew.  Bishop Babcock also attended the Second Vatican Council and completed a major restoration and expansion of the Cathedral of St Andrew in 1963.  Bishop Babcock died of cancer in 1969.

Joseph M. Breitenbeck (1914-2005) 
  • Born in Detroit and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1942.
  • Served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1965-1969).
  •  Bishop of Grand Rapids (1969-1989).
Bishop Breitenbeck established seven new parishes and saw the Diocese reduced in size by the creation of the Dioceses of Gaylord and Kalamazoo in 1971.  Bishop Breitenbeck appointed the first woman as Diocesan chancellor, advocated for the ordination of women and for allowing priests to marry, encouraged the practice of communal confessions, allowed divorced and remarried Catholics to receive the sacraments, and preached against nuclear weapons and for workers receiving fair wages.  Breitenbeck wrote procedures for handling clerical sexual abuse and helped establish a program that allowed parishes to borrow Diocesan funds at a reduced rate.  He also sold the Bishop’s residence and lived in a more modest house.  Bishop Breitenbeck retired in 1989.

Robert J. Rose (born 1930) 
  • Born in Grand Rapids and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Rapids in 1955.
  • Served as Bishop of Gaylord (1981-1989).
  • Bishop of Grand Rapids (1989-2003).
Bishop Rose completed a major renovation of the Cathedral of St. Andrew and also established an education fund.  Bishop Rose retired in 2003.

Kevin M. Britt (1944-2004)  
  • Born in Detroit and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1970.
  • Served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1994-2002) and coadjutor bishop of Grand Rapids (2002-2003).
  • Bishop of Grand Rapids (2003-2004).
Bishop Britt served as Bishop for only seven months before his untimely death in 2004 from hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis.

Walter A. Hurley (born 1937)  
  • Born in Canada and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1965.
  • Served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (2003-2005).
  • Bishop of Grand Rapids (2005-2013).
Bishop Hurley consolidated three programs into a single Diocesan Catholic Charities organization.  He also published a magazine to better inform Catholics about their Faith and began a pastoral planning process to better allocate Diocesan resources.  Hurley had great success in increasing the number of vocations to the priesthood.  Bishop Hurley consolidated Diocesan offices to a location near the Cathedral in 2008 and created Cathedral Square Center—a 12 acre campus—in downtown Grand Rapids.  Part of the campus includes the Piazza Secchia, modeled on a Michelangelo-designed piazza in Rome.  Bishop Hurley retired in 2013.

Current Bishop

David J. Walkowiak was appointed Bishop of Grand Rapids by Pope Francis in 2013.  He was born in Ohio in 1953 and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cleveland in 1979.  He previously served as a pastor and vice-chancellor for the Diocese of Cleveland.

The Cathedral

Cathedral of Saint Andrew
265 Sheldon SE
Grand Rapids
, Michigan  49503

St. Andrew was one of the twelve Apostles and the brother of St. Peter.  After the Resurrection, he is thought to have performed missionary work in Asia Minor and Greece.  He was crucified in Greece around 70 A.D.  He is the patron saint of Scotland, Greece, Russia, and of sailors and fishermen.  His feast day is November 30.

Brother of Simon Peter, you heard John the Baptist say: "Behold the Lamb of God," and you chose to follow Jesus. Leaving your nets, you became a successful fisher of souls. Lover of the Crucified Christ, you too were crucified like him. Teach us to live and suffer for Him and to win many souls for Christ. Amen.

Father Frederick Baraga established St. Mary’s church and school on the west side of the Grand River in 1833 to serve Native Americans and a handful of settlers.  Father Andreas Viszoosky became the first pastor in 1835 and built a stone church on Monroe Avenue in 1850 dedicated to St. Andrew.  The current building was completed in 1876 and became the Cathedral for the new Diocese of Grand Rapids in 1882.  The Cathedral was struck by lightning in 1901 and destroyed by fire.  Rebuilding took two years.

The Gothic cathedral is built on a foundation of Grand River limestone originally used in the first St. Mary’s church.  The Cathedral is 209 feet long and the main steeple rises 180 feet from the street and is topped with a 12-foot cross.  The bell tower has 10 bells ranging in weight from 250 pounds to 3,050 pounds that were manufactured by the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore.



The top picture is from the Cathedral website and the bottom one is from the Diocesan website.

The Cathedral has pointed arches and a vaulted ceiling typical of Gothic churches.  The ceiling is painted blue with gold-leaf stars reflecting the night sky on April 22, 1883, the day the church was consecrated.  The main altar is made of black marble and the Stations of the Cross are bas-relief sculptures.  The Cathedral has three Lètourneau pipe organs.  The gallery organ in the choir loft has s 56 stops and 72 ranks and is the chancel organ 22 ranks.  The gallery organ console controls both organs.  The Chapel organ has 14 ranks to play at daily Mass.

Additional information, including a panoramic tour, can be found on the parish website at cathedralofsaintandrew.org.  Also see the Diocesan website at dioceseofgrandrapids.org.  The Cathedral is located in downtown Grand Rapids and has five weekend masses—including one in Spanish.  The Cathedral is staffed by the Paulist Fathers.









All pictures are from the Cathedral website, except the last which is from pinterest.

Also located in the Diocese

There is one basilica located in the Diocese of Grand Rapids—the Basilica of St. Adalbert in Grand Rapids.  The first St. Adalbert’s church was a small wooden building that served the Polish community of Grand Rapids.  Construction of the current church began in 1907 and was completed in 1913. The Romanesque church was designed by Henry Harks of Cleveland and Chris Vierheilig of Grand Rapids.  Two bell towers dominate the front of the church, which also features a dome rising 150 feet above the floor of the church.  Pope John Paul II designated the church as a minor basilica in 1979.  Basilica is an honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship.

The Basilica’s website, basilicagr.org, has a tour of the church complete with beautiful pictures, which I was not able to copy for technical reasons.





From, in order, the Diocesan website, flickr, panaramio, and Wikipedia.

Diocese of Lansing


The diocese consists of 10 counties in south central Michigan.  The Diocese has 192,000 Catholics (11 percent of the total population) in 81 parishes as of 2015.

Bishops of Lansing

Joseph H. Albers (1891-1965)  
  • Born in Ohio and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1916.
  • Served as auxiliary bishop of Cincinnati (1929-1937).
  • First Bishop of Lansing (1937-1965).
Bishop Albers served as a chaplain during the First World War and received a silver star for bravery and valor.  Shortly after becoming Bishop, Albers was seriously injured during a fire at the Cathedral rectory.  Bishop Albers built more than 250 buildings for the Diocese, including about 40 churches and 40 elementary schools and two high schools to accommodate a 300 percent increase in the number of Diocesan Catholics.  He also started a diocesan newspaper and attended the Second Vatican Council.  He died in 1965.

Alexander M. Zaleski (1906-1975)
·         Born in New York and ordained a priest in 1931 for the Diocese of Detroit.
·         Served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1950-1964) and coadjutor bishop of Lansing (1964-1965).
·         Bishop of Lansing (1965-1975).

Bishop Zaleski chaired the doctrine committee for what is now the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops just prior to the Second Vatican Council, which he attended.  He died in 1975.

Kenneth J. Povish (1924-2003) 
·         Born in Alpena, Michigan, and ordained a priest in 1950 for the Diocese of Saginaw.
·         Served as Bishop of Crookston, Minnesota (1970-1975).
·         Bishop of Lansing (1975-1995).

Povich was the first Bishop of Lansing to have been born in Michigan.  Bishop Povich wrote a column for the Diocesan newsletter and regularly appeared on a local television program.  He also served in several leadership positions with what is now the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Bishop Povich resigned because of poor health in 1995.

Carl F. Mengeling (born 1930) 
  • Born in Indiana, converted to Catholicism as a child, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, in 1957.
  • Bishop of Lansing (1995-2008).
Bishop Mengeling built more than a dozen new churches, including churches for the African-American community in Flint, and Hispanic communities in Lansing and Flint, as well as many new schools.  He prepared the Diocese for Jubilee 2000, a world-wide celebration of the Third Millennium of Christianity.  He ordained 33 priests and 43 permanent deacons and encouraged vocations for women religious.  He established a Diocesan magazine to teach and spread the Faith.  He organized youth programs, but also dealt with the clergy sexual abuse scandal by starting a program to help prevent further abuse and by visiting victims of abuse.  In 2003, he called for an end to the War in Iraq.  Bishop Mengeling retired in 2008.

Current Bishop

Earl Boyea was appointed Bishop of Lansing by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.  He was born in Pontiac, Michigan, in 1951 and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1978.  He previously served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (2002-2008).  He obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1987 from The Catholic University of America.

The Cathedral

St. Mary (Immaculate Conception) Cathedral
219 Seymour Street
Lansing, Michigan 48933

Many Christians believe that humans are born into sin—known as original sin.  This sin is erased through baptism and the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  Catholics believe that Mary, through the grace of God, was conceived without the stain of original sin—the Immaculate Conception.  She was given the honor because of her role as the Mother of God.  The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8.

Glorious and immortal Queen of Heaven, we profess our firm belief in your Immaculate Conception preordained for you in the merits of your Divine Son. We rejoice with you in your Immaculate Conception. To the one ever-reigning God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three in Person, one in nature, we offer thanks for your blessed Immaculate Conception. O Mother of the Word made Flesh, listen to our petition as we ask this special grace (State your intention here). O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.

Construction of the first St. Mary’s—the first Catholic church in Lansing—began in 1856, just nine years after Lansing was founded.  St. Mary’s, then located on Chestnut Street, became a parish in 1866 when Father Louis Van Driss was assigned as pastor.  The parish moved to a temporary church in 1904 on Walnut Street in preparation for construction of the current church, which was completed in 1913.  St. Mary’s became the Cathedral for the new Diocese of Lansing in 1937.  The Cathedral is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


From the Cathedral website.

St. Mary’s was designed by E.A. Bond of Lansing in a Gothic Revival style.  The baptistery, altar, and ambo were designed by Robert Rambusch of New York and the baldachin over the altar was designed by Guild Hall Studios.  The bas-relief depicting the Last Supper was made in Italy.  The 12-foot wooden crucifix was made by Ronald Lukas in 1976 and the corpus was made in Germany.

The Stations of the Cross were hand painted on copper in Czechoslovakia and were installed in the mid-1920s and were later restored.  The large high stained-glass windows were made in Germany in 1923 and the lower windows were made in the United States.  The windows depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments.  The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was a gift from the Vatican in 1992 and the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe was made by George Papastamatiou Studios in Toledo 1996 and is made of with gold leaf and 8,000 marble tiles from Italy.  The Casavant pipe organ has 50 ranks of pipes.  The bell tower has four bells.

Additional information, including a tour, can be found on the cathedral website, 
stmarylansing.org, and on the diocesan website, dioceseoflansing.org.  St. Mary’s Cathedral is located in downtown Lansing and has three weekend masses.







The first three pictures are mine, the last is from pinterest.

Diocese of Saginaw


The diocese consists of the 11 counties in southeastern Michigan.  The Diocese has 98,000 Catholics (14 percent of the total population) in 58 parishes as of 2015.

Bishops of Saginaw

William F. Murphy (1885-1950) 
·         Born in Kalamazoo and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Detroit in 1908.
·         First Bishop of Saginaw (1938-1950).  

As Bishop during the end of the Great Depression and during World War II, Murphy established several Diocesan organizations to help the poor and disadvantaged, including Catholic Charities, a family services organization, and an Hispanic ministry—the latter established to help migrant workers.  He also sought to help the victims of the Second World War in Europe.  Murphy established a Diocesan newspaper and he would also occasionally preside at the wedding of a poor couple to make their wedding day even more exciting.  Diocesan Catholics increased by 50 percent during his time as Bishop.  Murphy died in 1950.

Stephen S. Woznicki (1894-1968)  
·         Born in Pennsylvania and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Detroit in 1917.
·         Served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1938-1950).
·         Bishop of Saginaw (1950-1968).

Bishop Woznicki started 21 new parishes and built 30 schools to accommodate a 60 percent increase in the number of Diocesan Catholics.  He also started a Diocesan seminary, which now houses Nouvel Catholic Central High School and the Diocesan offices.  Woznicki served one term as president of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference and attended the Second Vatican Council.  Bishop Woznicki retired in 1968.

Francis F. Reh (1911-1994)
  • Born in New York and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of New York in 1935.
  • Served as Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina (1962-1964) and rector of the North American College in Rome (1964-1968).
  • Bishop of Saginaw (1968-1980).
Bishop Reh implemented the Second Vatican Council changes.  He also was one of the first U.S. bishops to establish a lay formation program that would provide the laity with the opportunity to improve their relationship with Jesus and grow in missionary discipleship.  He renovated the interior of St. Mary’s Cathedral in 1978.  The northern portion of the Diocese became part of the Diocese of Gaylord in 1971.  Bishop Reh retired in 1980.

Kenneth E. Untener (1937-2004)
·         Born in Detroit and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1963.
·         Bishop of Saginaw (1980-2004).

Kenneth Untener was not a traditional bishop.  One of the first things he did was to sell the Bishop’s residence—he moved from one parish rectory to another (69 times!) during his time as bishop.  He was known as a strong leader and sought to improve the lives of the poor and needy.  He advocated for a greater role for women in the Church and critized the Church’s ban on artifical birth control.  He also published the popular “Little Books” of prayer for Lent, Easter, Advent, and Christmas.  He enjoyed playing ice hockey despite having a prosthetic leg.  Untener died of leukemia in 2004.

Robert J. Carlson (born 1944) 
·         Born in Minnesota and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1970.
·         Served as auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis (1984-1994), coadjutor bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota (1994-1995), Bishop of Sioux Falls (1995-2004).
·         Bishop of Saginaw (2004-2009).
·         Serves as Archbishop of St. Louis (since 2009).

Bishop Carlson increased the number of seminarians from 4 to 19 in his first two years as Bishop and in 2007 was able to ordain two priests and ordain five transitional deacons.  He reorganized the Saginaw’s parochial schools and established two charities—the Bishop’s Charity Golf Classic and the Bishop's Charity Ball—to raise funds for the Diocese and to help the poor and needy.  Carlson was appointed Archbishop of St. Louis in 2009.

Current Bishop

Joseph R. Cistone was appointed Bishop of Saginaw by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.   He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1949, and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1975.  He previously served as auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia (2004-2009).

The Cathedral

Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption (St. Mary’s Cathedral)
615 Hoyt Avenue
Saginaw, Michigan  48607

The Cathedral is named for Mary, the mother of Jesus, and therefore, the Mother of God.  From the earliest days of the Church, Christians believed that Mary, upon her death, was assumed body and soul into Heaven by her Son.  This belief was formalized in 1950 by Pope Pius XII, who declared that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a dogma of the Catholic Faith.  The Feast of the Assumption is celebrated on August 15. 

Almighty and eternal God, who took up into the glory of Heaven, with body and soul, the immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of thy son: grant us, we pray, that we may always strive after heavenly things and thus merit to share in her glory. Amen.

Saginaw was first settled in 1819.  Mass was celebrated along the west banks of “Old Saginaw City” by missionary priests from Flint as early as 1841, but it was not until a vacant carpenter’s shop was purchased in 1852 that St. Andrew Parish was born.  St. Mary’s parish was established on the east side of the Saginaw River in 1853.  What is now the City of Saginaw resulted from the consolidation of the cities of East Saginaw and Saginaw (West Side) in 1889.  Construction began on the third and current St. Mary’s in 1901 and it was completed in 1903.  St. Mary’s became the Cathedral for the new Diocese of Saginaw in 1938.

The Cathedral’s architectural style is Gothic and it is constructed with red bricks.  St. Mary’s stained-glass windows are hand-painted and depict events in the life of Christ.  The windows were made by the Van Griechten Company of Columbus, Ohio, and were installed from 1903 to 1908.  The Cathedral website, cathedralcscluster.com, does offer a virtual tour with pictures.  Also see the Diocesan website at saginaw.org.

The Cathedral is located in less than a mile southeast of downtown Saginaw and has three weekend masses.  The Cathedral is in a cluster of churches with Holy Family Church and St. Joseph’s Church.





In order the pictures are from the Diocesan website, me, me, and the Cathedral Facebook page.

Diocese of Gaylord


The diocese consists of 21 counties in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan.  The Diocese has 54,000 Catholics (11 percent of the total population) in 75 parishes.  Gaylord is one of a dozen diocesan sees that has a population of fewer than 20,000 and is one of only 7 diocesan sees in which the Cathedral parish is the only parish.

Bishops of Gaylord


Edmund C. Szoka (1927-2014) 
  • Born in Grand Rapids and became a priest for the Diocese of Marquette in 1954.
  • First Bishop of Gaylord (1971-1981).
  • Later served as Archbishop of Detroit (1981-1990), President of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See (1990-1997) and as President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State (1997-2006).  He was named a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
Bishop Szoka improved the marriage annulment process for the Diocese and served as secretary and treasurer of the Michigan Bishops conference.  He was named Archbishop of Detroit in 1981.

Robert J. Rose (born 1930)
  • Born in Grand Rapids and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Rapids in 1955.
  • Bishop of Gaylord (1981-1989).
  • Later served as Bishop of Grand Rapids (1989-2003).
I have limited information about Bishop Rose.  Rose was named Bishop of Grand Rapids in 1989.

Patrick R. Cooney (1934-2012)
  • Born in Detroit and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1959.
  • Served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1982-1989).
  • Bishop of Gaylord (1989-2011).
Bishop Cooney sought clerical and lay consultations through numerous assemblies and task forces.  He instituted a seven-year plan for evangelization and increased use of broadcast media.  He sought to educate Catholics about the Church’s social teaching and established a center for continuing education in the Faith.  Bishop Cooney kept the Diocesan budget balanced and established an endowment fund for the Diocese.  Bishop Cooney retired in 2011.

Bernard A. Hebda (born 1959) 
  • Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1989.
  • Served on the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts in Rome (1996-2011).
  • Bishop of Gaylord (2011-2013).
  • Later served as coadjutor archbishop of Newark, New Jersey (2013-2015), apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis (2015-2016) and serves as Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis since 2016.
Bishop Hebda served only briefly in Gaylord before being named coadjutor archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, in 2013.

Current Bishop

Steven J. Raica was appointed Bishop of Gaylord by Pope Francis in 2014.  He was born in Munising, Michigan, in 1952, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lansing in 1978.  He previously served as chancellor for the Diocese of Lansing.  Bishop Raica has conversational ability in English, Italian, Polish and Sign Language. 

The Cathedral

St. Mary (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) Cathedral
606 N. Ohio Avenue
Gaylord, Michigan  49735

Around 1200, a group of hermits lived on Mount Carmel near the current day city of Haifa, Israel.  These hermits were especially devoted to Our Blessed Mother and eventually this group became the Carmelite Order.  Carmelites believe that Our Lady appeared to a member of the Order, Simon Stock, and told him to wear what is now known as the brown scapular as a sign of her protection and as a means of salvation.  The Carmelites have celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel since the 14th Century and it has been celebrated by the whole Church since 1726.  The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated on July 16.

You who, with special mercy, look upon those clothed in your beloved Habit, cast a glance of pity upon me. Fortify my weakness with your strength; enlighten the darkness of my mind with your wisdom; increase my faith, hope and charity. Assist me during life, console me by your presence at my death, and present me to the August Trinity as your devoted child, that I may bless you for all eternity in Paradise. Amen.

St. Mary’s parish was established in 1888 and a brick church was completed in 1901 [at the corner of W. Mitchell and N. Otsego—it is now an arts center].  This church became the first Cathedral for the new Diocese in 1971.


From Wikipedia.

The current St. Mary's Cathedral was completed in 1976 and is a Modern octagon-shaped building with a separate bell tower.  The bronze statue of Our Blessed Mother at the south entrance was designed by Jim Hopfensperger of Midland.




The top picture is from the Diocesan website and the bottom picture was taken by a friend.

Above the entrance to the nave are etchings of Our Lady of Carmel giving the Scapular to St. Simon Stock and of Elijah confronting the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.  At the entrance is the octagonal baptismal font aligned with the main altar and cathedra.  The main altar is a cube made of Vermont granite and the tabernacle has the general shape of a monstrance with a luna suspended in a sunburst.  The stained glass windows depict Mary under her various titles taken from the Litany of the Blessed Mother.  The Stations of the Cross are sculpted bronze.  The pipe organ was built by the Gabriel Kney Company of Ontario.  It has more than 2,000 pipes with 30 stops.

The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament has an icon depicting the burning bush that was sculpted out of copper by Vera Bartnik of Traverse City.  The Chapel also has a shrine devoted to Our Lady of Czestochowa with a copy of a Polish icon.  The Chapel windows are wheat-colored to represent the Body of Christ.  Other shrines are dedicated to the Sacred Heart, St. Joseph, and Bishop Frederick Baraga, a 19th Century missionary and bishop in Northern Michigan.  St. Joseph’s shrine has windows of faceted glass symbolizing St. Joseph as carpenter and as patron of the universal church. 

A virtual tour of the Cathedral can be found on the Diocesan website at dioceseofgaylord.org.  Also see the Cathedral website at stmarycathedral.org.  The Cathedral is located slightly northwest of downtown Gaylord.  St. Mary’s seats about 1,000 people and has three weekend masses.  St. Mary Cathedral School has over 350 students in grades K-12.





The top two pictures are from the Diocesan website and the bottom two were taken by a friend.

Diocese of Kalamazoo


The diocese consists of 9 counties in southwestern Michigan.  The Diocese has 107,000 Catholics (11 percent of the total population) in 46 parishes as of 2015.

Bishops of Kalamazoo


Paul V. Donovan (1924-2011) 
·         Born in Iowa and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lansing in 1950.
·         First Bishop of Kalamazoo (1971-1994).

Bishop Donovan’s new Diocese had 80,000 Catholics served by 80 priests.  Donovan organized the new Diocese and implemented the changes of the Second Vatican Council.  He made the changes easier by explaining them to the people of the Diocese.  He appointed women to lead parishes that did not have a pastor and sought greater lay involvement in Diocesan activities.  He was considered an effective leader and was known for being kind, compassionate, and friendly.  He retired in 1994.

Alfred J. Markiewicz (1928-1997)
·         Born in New York and ordained a priest in 1953 for the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York.
·         Served as auxiliary bishop of Rockville Centre, New York (1986-1994).
·         Bishop of Kalamazoo (1994-1997).

I have limited information on Bishop Markiewicz, except that he ordained more than 15 men to the priesthood and almost 30 to the permanent diaconate, and that he dedicated a dozen new churches.  Bishop Markiewicz died in 1997 of a brain tumor.

James A. Murray (born 1932)  
·         Born in Jackson, Michigan, and ordained a priest in 1958 for the Diocese of Lansing.
·         Bishop of Kalamazoo (1997-2009).

I have limited information on Bishop Murray, except that he retired in 2009.

Current Bishop

Paul J. Bradley was appointed Bishop of Kalamazoo by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.  He was born in Pennsylvania in 1945 and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1971.  He previously served as auxiliary bishop of Pittsburgh (2004-2009).

The Cathedral

St. Augustine Cathedral
542 W. Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, Michigan  49007

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) was born a Catholic in what is now Algeria, but in his late teens joined the Manichees, a heretical sect, and about the same time, fathered a son out of wedlock.  He eventually returned to the Church, influenced in part by St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan in what is now Italy.  Augustine went on to become one of the greatest theologians—he is their patron saint—author of “Confessions” and “City of God”—books that are still widely read.  He became Bishop of Hippo, in northern Africa, in 395, and was declared one of the four original Doctors of the Church in 1298.  His feast day is August 28.

Holy Spirit, powerful Consoler, sacred Bond of the Father and the Son, Hope of the afflicted, descend into my heart and establish in it your loving dominion. Enkindle in my tepid soul the fire of your Love so that I may be wholly subject to you. We believe that when you dwell in us, you also prepare a dwelling for the Father and the Son. Deign, therefore, to come to me, Consoler of abandoned souls, and Protector of the needy. Help the afflicted, strengthen the weak, and support the wavering. Come and purify me. Let no evil desire take possession of me. You love the humble and resist the proud. Come to me, glory of the living, and hope of the dying. Lead me by your grace that I may always be pleasing to you. Amen.  (Prayer of St. Augustine)

Mass was first celebrated in a private home in Kalamazoo in 1832—three years after the first settlers arrived.  The first Catholic church was built in 1852—a 600 square foot structure located on West Kalamazoo Avenue.  Four years later, St. Augustine parish was established under the leadership of Father Anthony Label.  His parish included 47 families in six counties.  A larger brick church replaced the original in 1869.  The second pastor, Father Francis O’Brien, established Borgess Hospital in 1889, and the third pastor, Father John Hackett, established a high school in 1926 that is now named after him.  The current St. Augustine church was completed in 1951 and became the Cathedral for the new Diocese of Kalamazoo in 1971.  The Cathedral was almost destroyed by a tornado in 1980, but was rededicated in 1989.



The top picture is from Wikipedia and the bottom was taken by me.

The Gothic Revival Cathedral is made of brick.  The Cathedral’s pipe organ was made by the Casavant Company and has 42 ranks and 34 stops and was renovated in 2002 by Nichols & Simpson, Inc.

The Cathedral’s website is stakalamazoo.org.  The Diocesan website is dioceseofkalamazoo.org.  The Cathedral is located in downtown Kalamazoo and serves a parish of over 800 families with four weekend masses.  The parish elementary school has over 300 students.



The top is from Flickr and the bottom is by me.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for posting, I am doing research on the work of my grandfather's marble works, Guiseppe Tommasi Studios. Mice to learn about the work he did in St. Peter's Cathedral

    ReplyDelete