“The Annunciation,” a phrase echoing through Detroit’s history. It marks the beginning of what we now know as Good Shepherd Primitive Baptist Church. Annunciation parish started with Bishop John Foley in 1906. Four hundred names petitioned for a new parish. This led to its establishment at Parkview and Agnes. It served Catholics east of Burns and west of Connors Creek.
Construction began in 1911. Donaldson and Meier designed the church in the Romanesque style. It mirrored their earlier designs for St. Elizabeth and St. Anthony. A Detroit News photo from January 1913 states the church was dedicated on Christmas Day 1912. The Romanesque exterior featured small towers and a large lantern over the crossing. Inside, classical influences mixed with the Romanesque. The chancel windows showed the Seven Sacraments. Some believed they were made of Austrian glass.
A. Z. Bellante of Newark, New Jersey, completed striking murals. The paintings brightened the interior. The settings of the windows and pillars were effective. This was finished in time for the dedication on Christmas Day.
In 15 years, the congregation grew significantly. It started with a small group meeting in a private home. Their newly assigned pastor, Rev. Fr. James Stapleton, led them. Eventually, the parish grew to 1,000 families. They worshiped in a church that held 1,700 people. The church also sustained a school and high school with 1,000 pupils.
Parochial buildings included the church, school, rectory, and a home for the teaching sisters. Later, a gymnasium and community center were built. The church’s interior was admired for its graceful arches and stained-glass windows. The Romanesque plan resembled St. Anthony’s Church also designed by Donaldson & Meier. However, Annunciation’s towers were square and castellated.
An imitation bas-relief of the Annunciation is over the inner door to the middle aisle. It is a copy of a medieval Italian work. Bellante created his own designs for all other paintings. The rounded Romanesque interior has arches in white and pale gold. Rectangular side pillars had modified Corinthian capitals. Pillars resembled Sienna marble. Medallions of the 12 Apostles lined the nave arches. King David with the harp and St. Cecilia at the organ are seen at the rear.
The nave and transept arches meet in a lacunar-style dome. This design is repeated in the apse. Heroic-sized figures were painted on the arches. These figures were St. Matthew with his angel, St. Luke as a painter, St. Mark with the lion, and St. John with the eagle. Statues of the Sacred Heart, St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Anthony of Padua stood in niches.
The sanctuary features a baldachin high altar. The apse’s ceiling had sunken panels. The chief painting of the Annunciation is high over the Tabernacle. It depicts the Blessed Virgin, the archangel Gabriel, and a vista of Nazareth. Stained glass windows show the seven Sacraments. One window shows Jesus driving the moneychangers from the temple.
Bellante fitted his pictorial plans into the church’s architecture. He added artful touches to the windows and Stations of the Cross. Annunciation had seven pastors over 75 years. Msgr. James Stapleton served until 1942. Fr. Thomas J. Carroll, Fr. P.G. McSherry, and Fr. Arnold Q. Schneider followed. They led the church through its Golden Age.
In 2006, Annunciation/Our Lady of Sorrows merged with St. Anthony to become Good Shepherd. Fr. Nkachukwu continued as pastor. In 2016, Good Shepherd merged with Our Lady Queen of Heaven. The main worship site moved to Rolyat Street. The historic structure remains available for special occasions. In 2021, plans emerged to convert the church into a cultural center called “The Shepherd.” The sanctuary will become gallery spaces and a library for Black arts. The rectory will become a bed and breakfast.