Peeking out from Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood stands St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. The church was founded in 1858. It stands as a testament to faith and community. It is an Episcopal and ecumenical congregation. St. Peter’s is also earth-based. The congregation actively seeks to celebrate queerness. It embraces its LGBTQIA+ community members.
St. Peter’s has a rich history within Detroit. Most of its original members hailed from County Cork, Ireland. The church’s story is one of adaptation. It is also one of unwavering commitment to its neighbors.
Originally, St. Peter’s second church was a carpenter Gothic wooden structure. By 1925, it had fallen into disrepair. The city condemned the building. This forced the congregation into an unexpected building campaign. The location was across from Tiger Stadium, then called Navin Field.
Lacking sufficient funds, St. Peter’s first built the Parish House and Chapel. Four years later in 1929, the Sanctuary followed. This was on the eve of the Stock Market Crash. A third building was planned. It was to be a commercial structure with stores facing Michigan Avenue. That third building was never realized.
The original plan included a three-story building. The top floor would serve as the Rectory. The second floor would house classrooms. It would also have a kitchen and showers. The first floor would have a choir locker room and a Rector’s office, now the library.
The Great Depression caused delays. The completion of the Sanctuary was postponed by ten years. The Parish House and Chapel served beyond their intended purpose. During the 1930s, St. Peter’s became a mission. It became a dependency of St. John’s Church. It is said that the men of St. Peter’s played cards in the boiler room. They defied the troubles of the world outside.
After World War Two, St. Peter’s regained parish status. An enterprising Rector turned the Parish House into St. Peter’s Home for Boys. This was a residence for teenage boys in minor trouble with the law. From 1948 to 1962, the boys served daily masses. They sang in the choir on Sundays.
Later, another Rector transformed the Parish House into a halfway house. This was a pre-release program for inmates. It housed Federal prisoners from Milan Federal Penitentiary. This lasted from 1962 to 1982.
In 1981, Weatherization and Retrofit Maintenance (WARM) began in the building. In 1982, the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS) followed. St. Peter’s sheltered many people in the Parish House. After a couple of years, St. Peter’s sheltered Central American refugees. They called themselves the Detroit/Windsor Refugee Coalition.
Following this, St. Peter’s supported Alternatives for Girls. Since the 1970s, St. Peter’s Manna Meal has fed and clothed the hungry. The Corner Shower and Laundry helps the homeless live healthier lives.
To this day, St. Peter’s has not been fully completed. The rose brick walls remain unplastered. The wood sheathing for the ceiling has not been installed. These exposed supports are now considered aesthetically pleasing.
Don’t miss the Te Deum Window. It is a stained glass window in the chancel. It is one of the finest in Detroit. It illustrates the ancient hymn “Te Deum Laudamas”. The remaining three windows were paid off, shipped, and installed more than 40 years after putting them in layaway.
St. Peter’s welcomes all. It invites everyone to participate in its active and loving community. It confronts the uncomfortable challenges of spiritual growth. St. Peter’s embodies radical hospitality. It stands in solidarity. It strives to build a beloved community within Detroit.