St. Martin Catholic Church

On a once marshy plot of land, now stands St. Martin Catholic Church. It’s a silent sentinel of Detroit’s past. St. Martin Catholic Church, also known as St. Martin On-The-Lake, or simply St. Martin, whispers stories of a vibrant community. It began in 1923 as a humble parish. The first services were held in a hall on Jefferson Avenue. Soon after, a temporary wooden structure was built on the current site. In 1924, even before the elementary school was finished, over 400 students enrolled. Imagine nuns shepherding children through classrooms without roofs, doors, or even stairs. High school classes began in 1926. By 1927, the church services moved into the school building. The school expanded further in 1932 and 1938. The dream of a permanent church was realized in 1949 when construction began. The cornerstone was laid in 1950, and the grand opening took place in 1953. St. Martin Catholic Church flourished in the 1960s. Over 3,000 families attended weekly mass. However, changing times and dwindling numbers led to the high school’s closure in 1970. The elementary school followed in 1971. Both the school and the convent were later demolished. In 1989, the Archdiocese of Detroit closed thirty parishes. St. Martin was among them. With only eighty families attending, it was mothballed, hoping for a neighborhood revival. The last mass was held on April 9, 1989. The congregation then moved to St. Ambrose in Grosse Pointe. St. Martin Catholic Church then became a repository for sacred artifacts from other closed churches. Crates of confessionals and altars filled the sanctuary. Though the surrounding neighborhood has begun to recover, St. Martin Catholic Church remains boarded up, a poignant reminder of a bygone era.