The history of Sacred Heart Church is the story of people. It is the story of people who, for one hundred years have said, “We believe.” The story of a church is not its buildings; it is of the people who built it, and why they did it. It is the story of many people–their births, their living, their schooling, their marrying, their dying. Lives touch here; dreams, joys, and sorrows are shared and celebrated. Here the Spirit moves to comfort the distressed, to strengthen the courageous, to uplift the depressed, to provoke the listless, to set on fire to light the way. It is the story of people failing, praying, singing, laughing, crying, changing, struggling, rising.
The people of Sacred Heart Church are the people of the City of Detroit. Their histories must be told-together.
In the nineteenth century, Detroit was a multi-ethnic community. Although nationalities strove to become part of the American way of life, each one clung to its own culture in social and religious life. The Polish, German, Irish, Italian, French, and Black communities built their own churches so that they could express their religious values according to their own customs. In 1875, a group of German-American Catholics, were granted permission by Bishop Casper H. Borgess to establish Sacred Heart Church at Grove Street (now Eliot) and Prospect Street (now Rivard). Father Aloysuis Kurtz, O.F.M., organized the parish and Father Eugene Butterman, O.F.M., became the first pastor. At one time (1920-1924) Sacred Heart School was occupied by students of the Diocesan Seminary. It was not only because other parishes did not welcome Catholics into their prejudiced congregations, but mostly because we wished to express our cultural experiences in religious life, that we organized our parish in 1911. Pride in a long cultural-religious history, more and more dominates the churches of Black people. Thus, on September 1, 1911, Father Joseph Wuest, C. S. Sp., pastor of Old St. Mary’s, met with eighteen persons who decided to establish a parish. A large classroom at St. Mary’s School was made available and for three years served as a chapel for Black Catholics in the city.
In 1914, our growing congregation purchased a small Episcopal Church located on Beaubien and Eliot Streets. On Thanksgiving Day, Bishop John Foley dedicated the new church. The tireless efforts of a faith filled people were rewarded with a new parish named St. Peter Claver.
Our church was a place of worship, along with the school activities. Here we came together to praise God and leave with the spirit to serve one another in our community. Our dances, picnics, club meetings, choir practices and many social involvements not only made us personally concerned for each other, but they gave expression to our concerns for social improvement, political participation and spiritual depth.
Of necessity, the school had to be closed. June 1957, saw the closing of the high school followed eight years later by the closing of the elementary grades. Detroit was struggling, aging, and rebuilding. The area surrounding our church was marked for urban renewal.
In 1949, the Federal Housing Act, under the guise of “providing a decent home for every American,” began the destruction of our neighborhoods. Urban Renewal meant our removal. Whole neighborhoods were uprooted. Our houses were demolished, our stores removed, and lively old Hastings Street was torn out. They poured, in their place, the noisy, smog-filled, Chrysler Freeway. Some of us stayed in the area, many of us moved away farther east, west and north: Some joined other parishes nearer to their new homes and their children attended other schools. In spite of this we kept the faith. Our numbers decreased, but we always kept a strong core of members.
The spirit of service to the community prompted Sacred Heart to make available our vacant unused school building. Thus in 1967, the building became the first home for Sacred Heart Center, a residence devoted to the rehabilitation of alcoholics. The opening of the center brought a group of Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters to our vacant convent. That convent now houses Sisters of the Racine Dominican Community who work in various apostolates in the city. Even though many alcoholics were rehabilitated; not so the old school building. Once more it was vacated when the Rehabilitation Center moved to a new location in 1972. After weighing all of the issues we made the painful decision to tear down the building in the fall of 1973.
Father Charles Kapp, C.S.Sp., the first of many priests of the Holy Ghost Religious Congregation, pastored the parish for eight devoted years. The parishioners began thinking of a parish school.
When Father Henry Thiefels, C.S.Sp., became pastor in 1932, he and the parishioners began remodeling the rectory to provide two classrooms. By September 1936, St. Peter Claver Parish opened its school with two Felician Sisters and sixty-four students. We had reached another milestone.
Black Catholics were proud of their church and school and our numbers increased steadily. Negotiations began with the Archdiocese of Detroit to relocate the parish at Sacred Heart Church, which was just up the street. A dividing German population in the area made the move feasible. On September 1, 1938, the parishioners of St. Peter Claver marched in procession up Eliot Street across Hastings to Rivard and celebrated Mass in their new church. The powerful seed planted at St. Peter Claver Church now had bloomed into Sacred Heart Parish.
The Parish flourished in this new location. There were almost 1,500 members, but countless dreams and plans. Of immediate concern was the education of our young people. Every Civilization and Culture is measured in part, by the fulfillment of the dreams that it has for its young. The school was now staffed by fifteen Felician Sisters, and attended by eager, hard-working students. To everyone’s satisfaction, the first freshman class began in September 1941. After many painful but determined steps by parents, faculty, and students, the first Sacred Heart High School graduates received their diplomas in June 1945. This warm June day was commencement for forty-five young people and a new beginning of deeper faith for all of us of Sacred Heart Church. Our reputation for high academic standards was firmly respected in the city.
On October 20, 1968, Father Jerome Stegman, C.S.Sp., was transferred and a long fruitful era of spiritual leadership by the Holy Ghost Fathers came to a close.
Father Norman P. Thomas was appointed by Cardinal John Dearden to become our pastor in 1968. There was an immediate response from the people and together we took up the task of renewal.
Growing awareness made possible by the civil rights movement for liberation, the Second Vatican Council, led us to sing once more of our glorious history. We relived with pride the struggles and achievements of a people always on the move. Sacred Heart Parish Family engaged in the struggle to renew life in Detroit.
Throughout the country, the churches in the inner cities have become the cutting-edge for progress in the worship, community involvement, social action, education. These congregations have been the forerunners in the developing a warm theology that says God Cares about His people.
On February 26, 2023, Fr. Norman Thomas journeyed from labor to reward. Making history as the pastor of Sacred Heart for fifty-four years. His countless work on behalf of the people of Detroit made him known as the People’s Pastor.
In September of 2024, Fr. Richard Baumann, SJ came to serve the parish as our pastor…and so, the dream continues. We worship to express not only what we are but even more, what we wish to become.
WE HAVE COME THIS FAR BY FAITH We will continue to try to live by this faith because we know where we came from and we know where we are going. Sometimes the vision gets blurred, the dreams fall flat, and we don’t always know how to get there … but we are on our way!!
Recent Comments