Consider this St. Francis of Assisi Church a testament to faith and community in Detroit. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church emerged as the fourth Polish parish in Detroit. This followed St. Albertus, St. Casimir, and Sweetest Heart of Mary. The Polish population grew rapidly in the late 1800s.
Driven by devotion some members of St. Casimir petitioned Detroit Diocese. They wanted a new parish near Junction and Buchanan streets. Their request was approved a pastor was assigned. Reverend Romuald Byzewski directed the first building. It was a combination church and school at Wesson and Buchanan streets. The church accommodated 700 people. The school opened with 300 pupils. The first Mass was celebrated Easter Sunday of 1890.
As the parish grew Reverend Feliks Kieruj began a drive for a new church building. The new church opened in June 1905. This grand church seats 1700. It boasts beautiful stained glass windows. Its design is Italian Renaissance. It measures 230 feet long and 123 feet wide. The construction cost was 145000 dollars.
Reverend Kieruj also built a rectory convent and parish hall. Later a new larger school building was built. The parish accumulated debt. Father Alexander Grudzinski paid off the debt. The church of St. Francis was consecrated June 4 1929. It was the first church consecrated in Michigan. It was only the fifth in the U.S. A consecrated church cannot be added onto or sold. It must stand until it crumbles.
The neighborhood was largely Polish immigrants. They attended Mass there. Their children went to the parish school. Most were buried in nearby Holy Cross Cemetery. Starting in the 1940s expressways were built. In the 1960s and 70s the Polish immigrants moved to the suburbs. African Americans and Hispanics moved in. The neighborhood suffered urban blight. There are more empty lots than houses.
St. Francis D’Assisi Church still stands. It is at the corner of Wesson and Buchanan Streets. The parish is still viable. Few with Polish heritage attend. Mostly Hispanic residents attend now. They hear Mass in a different language than those who built the church. They work hard to keep the parish going.
The parish school is no longer in operation. The building was leased to Hope of Detroit Academy. My family has many ties to St. Francis D’Assisi Church. My grandparents lived one block southwest. My father and aunts and uncles attended St. Francis grade school. Several aunts and uncles married at St. Francis. My parents first home was one block north of the church. My brothers were baptized at St. Francis. They started grade school there. Then my family moved to the suburbs.
I visit St. Francis D’Assisi Church. I imagine the 1910-1950 era. It was a densely populated community. There were first and second generation Polish immigrants. It’s easy to imagine inside the church. Little has changed. It’s harder to imagine outside. Empty lots and decaying buildings are prevalent. I hope St. Francis Church will remain standing. Maybe Detroit will experience a rebirth. The neighborhood around the church will thrive again. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and the environment. Perhaps he will bless the rebuilding. Previous residents erected a grand church in his honor.
The church is 230 feet long and 123 feet wide. It seats 1700 people. It’s constructed of Malvern brick. It has carved Bedford trim. The construction cost 150000 dollars. The style is Italian Renaissance. It was the second Polish Parish on Detroit’s west side. Ornate Corinthian columns grace the facade. They hold up a triumphal arch. Trumpeting angels frame the great west window and main entrance. Carvings of laurels frame small rose windows in the church towers.
Three unique carvings are on the front facade. Michael the Archangel is to the left. He is the heraldic symbol of White Russia. The Knight of Lithuania is on the right. He is a heraldic symbol of Lithuanian lands. The White Eagle of Poland is there. She is a symbol of Polish statehood. These symbols meant the hope of reuniting Poland.
St. Francis D’Assisi Church stands as a beacon of hope. It reflects the enduring spirit of Detroit’s Polish community. It embraces a diverse congregation.