Religion in the Downriver Communities
Religion in the downriver communities
(This is one of the essays from the St. Francis Xavier High School English Honors Class of 1959. It appears in the papers with no references and no name. Please let me know if you wrote it or know who did. Kathy Warnes)
Religion in the Downriver Communities
According to local tradition, the first house of worship in Ecorse was the old Le Blanc homestead, a log cabin situated on what is now Jefferson Avenue, in the middle of the Le Blanc and White Streets. The early pioneers of Ecorse were French Catholics who followed the Jesuit Fathers.
Although the locality is mentioned continuously in the almanacs from 1839, no church name is given until 1847, when the title Saint Francis Xavier appears. A deed for the same site was executed in favor of Bishop LeFevere on July 30, 1845 by Simon Rousson with the provision that he should have for ten years the exclusive right to a pew “in the church now erected but not yet completed.”
Father Charles DePreiter was first assigned as resident pastor. He erected a frame church on the riverfront in 1848. Father Louis Baroux became pastor in 1857. The memorable old church on High Street, near Southfield Road, was built in 1882, during the pastorate of Father John Van Gennip; he was followed by Monsignor Raymond Champion, who served from 1888 to 1923. The Rt. Rev. Monsignor Raymond Champion was believed to be the oldest priest in the history of the state at the time of his death. Born in Bordeaux, France, in 1851, he came to the Ecorse parish in 1888 where he served 117 Catholic families who spoke French. He was instrumental in the formation of numerous parishes and personally established Our Lady of Lourdes in River Rouge. The present pastor of Saint Francis Xavier, Monsignor Tobias G. Morin, was appointed by Bishop Gallagher on July 23, 1923.
In 1924, a school for six grades and a convent was built. In 1932, an addition to the original school made it possible to accommodate high school students; this growth made it necessary to enlarge the convent. In 1952, a new church and rectory replaced the historic buildings in use since 1882. For the first time the whole plant is located on one site, the area of Jefferson and Outer Driver near their intersection.
The first expression of Christian religion preceded the white men in the Territory of Wyandotte. The first record of religion is dated 1816 when, John Stewart, a Protestant Methodist Missionary, arrived in the area. Before we can determine exactly who and which was the first church in the territory we must decide what we mean by a church. If we mean a gathering of religious people, the Methodists must be given credit as being first, but on the other hand if we mean a structure of building, then the Catholics must be given the credit for building St. Charles Borromeo Church (later St. Patrick) in 1857.
In the beginning the Methodists met in a private residence, and then in an old school building, until 1861 when they built their church on the same site as their present one, on the corner of Oak and Biddle. At the present time, more than one hundred fifty years since the first meeting of fourteen, the Methodist parish consists of approximately one thousand people.
The first formal structure of the Catholic church was St. Charles Borrmeo Church, built in 1855 on land deeded to Right Reverend Peter Paul Lefevere. It was named in honor of the founding French. But the most important reason for building St. Charles was that the Irish laborers at the Eureka Iron Works had to travel to Ecorse to attend Mass on Sundays at St. Francis Xavier Church. Father De Preiter, pastor of St. Francis, who recognized the need for a parish in Wyandotte now established a mission here and then became pastor of it. St. Charles was built on the present site of St. Patrick’s.
In 1873, during the pastorate of Father William De Beaver, the cornerstone of the larger and more beautiful church was laid. Just as they were ready to put in their roof and beautiful stained glass windows, a disaster struck. A high wind completely destroyed one of the walls. But besides the work on the church coming to a halt, the rolling mill, where most of the men worked, shut down and the men were out of work. A loan was obtained and the church wall was restored and roof put on, but there was no money for further construction.
The idled men were not only obliged to cut down on the economy but also on the spiritual side of life, for they were forced to divide their parish priest with St. Joseph’s, organized two years earlier. These two parishes were administered by one pastor until 1887 when Father Charles Sattel was made pastor of St. Joseph’s. In 1883, the work on the new church was finally resumed, this time under the pastorate of Father C.J. Roeper. After completely finishing the church, in 1886 Father Roeper began procedures for starting the work on a new convent which although altered and enlarged, was still housing the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters up until three years ago when they finally moved into their new convent, directly across the street from the church.
In 1889, during Father Laugell’s pastorate a rectory was completed and in 1906, the former church was torn down and replaced by a new school. But by 1914, the school was inadequate and was extended and at the same time the front of the church was remodeled. In 1888, the name of the church was changed to St. Patrick’s because of the majority of Irish parishioners. St. Patrick’s now boasts of a grade and high school, the new convent, and a remodeled church. The pastor and two assistants celebrate six Masses on Sunday and three on weekdays, although the city now has four more Catholic Churches within its boundaries.
The original Catholic parish in Lincoln Park was at first bounded by River Rouge on the east, Eureka Road on the west, Dearborn on the north and Electric Street on the south. Bishop Gallagher sent Father Vincent J. O’Toole to get acquainted with the area and the people who would be members of St. Henry’s Parish. Father O’Toole first called at the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Preston on South Bayside Street in Oakwood. Mr. Preston suggested the abandoned Oakwood School as the best start for the new church. Self-sacrificing men and women led by Mr. Preston and Ed Moxlow readied a room in the school. There on Sunday June 3, 1923 Father O’Toole celebrated the first mass of St. Henry’s Parish. The new parish numbered about twenty-five families. Albert Kaier sold Fr. O’Toole a five acre tract of land, which was located just within the village limits, for the site of the new church. This took place in September of 1923.
In 1925, when the village was still but a junction in Ecorse Township, a group of Presbyerians established the Allen Park Presbyterian Church, and a Lutheran mission as formed which later became Mt. Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church. Built in September of 1929, it is said to be the first in the area to serve Allen Parkers of that denomination. Other faiths in Allen Park worship in the Allen Park Baptist Church, St. Matthew’s United Lutheran Church, and the Angelica Lutheran Church.
The original Catholic parish in Lincoln Park was at first bounded by River Rouge on the east, Eureka Road on the west, Dearborn on the north and Electric Street on the south. Bishop Gallagher sent Father Vincent J. O’Toole to get acquainted with the area and the people who would be members of St. Henry’s Parish. Father O’Toole first called at the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Preston on South Bayside Street in Oakwood. Mr. Preston suggested the abandoned Oakwood School as the best start for the new church. Self-sacrificing men and women led by Mr. Preston and Ed Moxlow readied a room in the school. There on Sunday June 3, 1923 Father O’Toole celebrated the first mass of St. Henry’s Parish. The new parish numbered about twenty-five families. Albert Kaier sold Fr. O’Toole a five acre tract of land, which was located just within the village limits, for the site of the new church. This took place in September of 1923.
William Gentner was given the contract to build the temporary church, and in May of 1924, ground was broken. The people of the Parish themselves dug the basement for the church and rectory. With the help of farm equipment borrowed from Frank Kolb, the area had been cleared quickly. On Sunday October 5, 1924, the first Mass was said in the new temporary church. The parish now numbered more than 300 families.
The chief interest then became an appeal to the people of the parish not to vote for a bill which would compel the children to attend public schools. However the Ku Klux Klan, with its headquarters in Lincoln Park, tried to persuade the people to vote for the bill. They burned a cross on the bank across the creek and plastered “little red schoolhouse” stickers all over the church. Their plan only caused the people to become outraged and to defeat the bill. Father O’Toole fought the Ku Klux Klan by himself, because at that time the police department sympathized with them. Armed in his Army uniform and gun he let it be known that he would defend church property in his own way. At the end of 1924 and early 1925 other suspicious movements began in the area, said to be anti-Klan, but Father O’Toole warned his people to have nothing whatsoever to do with them and their movements.
In 1947, another Catholic parish was started for the people of Lincoln Park. The first Masses of Christ the Good Shepherd parish were said in the Hoover School. A modern plant is now in use and includes a church, elementary school and convent.
Approximately two dozen different Protestant denominations have organized congregations, rooting themselves in Lincoln Park to serve people of different faiths. One has a parochial school.
In 1926, St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Melvindale was organized. The first masses were said in the Dasher School. By 1947, the parish was so large that St. Francis Cabrini Parish was organized on the west end, now Allen Park. By 1948, a convent and school were in use, and an auditorium and parish hall were constructed. In 1954, a new church of contemporary design was built, also a rectory, at a total cost of $500,000. Twelve acres of land, across Outer Drive are now parish property, and the far-seeing people of this parish are now in the planning stages of the building of a new high school.
In 1811, Rev. Mr. Mitchell, a Methodist minister, held services for his church members in the home of William Weaver, a Catholic. At River Rouge, Rev. Gideon Lemming started the construction of the first Protestant church in Michigan in 1817. Unable to continue his plans because of illness, others took up his work. This church remained the only non-Catholic one in the area until two others were built in 1893.
By 1808 there were thirty Catholic families in River Rouge, and these were obliged to travel to St. Anne’s in Detroit for religious services. Father Gabriel Richard, pastor at St. Anne’s for many years, and associated with the early history of the city for many reasons, was responsible for the religious life of the whole downriver-area residents, to the Ohio borderline. River Rouge was at first a mission territory of St. Francis Xavier parish, founded from St. Anne’s by Father Richard for the Catholics of this territory.
Rev. Raymond Champion, originally of Bordeaux, France, and later of Rochester, New York, volunteered to serve the French-speaking Catholics of the area bordering the Detroit River. Father champion’s parish, St. Francis Xavier Parish, founded from St. Anne’s (as stated above), included Fort Wayne, River Rouge, Wyandotte, parts of Detroit, then called Oakwood and Delray, and a large section of farm lands, since divided into Lincoln Park and other outlying communities.
When Father Champion noticed that ninety families had settled in the “Anchorworks” –as the River Rouge territory was known—he established a mission and for many years conducted two high Masses and two vespers there every Sunday. The mission became Our Lady of Lourdes Church and Father E.J. Glemet, Father Champion’s nephew, became its first pastor. The parish is now one of the largest in the district and maintains a school attended by 1,300 pupils. It is a monument to the decades of service Father Champion gave to residents of the downriver district.
Older residents and members of the parish credit Father Champion with taking an active part in community projects. He was an enthusiastic lover or horses and in the days of the horse and buggy he was one of an eager group that raced horses across the ice of the Rouge River as a popular winter pastime.
On his Golden Anniversary as a priest, he was elevated to the dignity of Monsignor. Both St. Francis Xavier Parish and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish revere the memory of this valiant priest citizen, for he served both areas for many years.
(This is one of the essays from the St. Francis Xavier High School English Honors Class of 1959. It appears in the papers with no references and no name. Please let me know if you wrote it or know who did. Kathy Warnes)
Religion in the Downriver Communities
According to local tradition, the first house of worship in Ecorse was the old Le Blanc homestead, a log cabin situated on what is now Jefferson Avenue, in the middle of the Le Blanc and White Streets. The early pioneers of Ecorse were French Catholics who followed the Jesuit Fathers.
Although the locality is mentioned continuously in the almanacs from 1839, no church name is given until 1847, when the title Saint Francis Xavier appears. A deed for the same site was executed in favor of Bishop LeFevere on July 30, 1845 by Simon Rousson with the provision that he should have for ten years the exclusive right to a pew “in the church now erected but not yet completed.”
Father Charles DePreiter was first assigned as resident pastor. He erected a frame church on the riverfront in 1848. Father Louis Baroux became pastor in 1857. The memorable old church on High Street, near Southfield Road, was built in 1882, during the pastorate of Father John Van Gennip; he was followed by Monsignor Raymond Champion, who served from 1888 to 1923. The Rt. Rev. Monsignor Raymond Champion was believed to be the oldest priest in the history of the state at the time of his death. Born in Bordeaux, France, in 1851, he came to the Ecorse parish in 1888 where he served 117 Catholic families who spoke French. He was instrumental in the formation of numerous parishes and personally established Our Lady of Lourdes in River Rouge. The present pastor of Saint Francis Xavier, Monsignor Tobias G. Morin, was appointed by Bishop Gallagher on July 23, 1923.
In 1924, a school for six grades and a convent was built. In 1932, an addition to the original school made it possible to accommodate high school students; this growth made it necessary to enlarge the convent. In 1952, a new church and rectory replaced the historic buildings in use since 1882. For the first time the whole plant is located on one site, the area of Jefferson and Outer Driver near their intersection.
The first expression of Christian religion preceded the white men in the Territory of Wyandotte. The first record of religion is dated 1816 when, John Stewart, a Protestant Methodist Missionary, arrived in the area. Before we can determine exactly who and which was the first church in the territory we must decide what we mean by a church. If we mean a gathering of religious people, the Methodists must be given credit as being first, but on the other hand if we mean a structure of building, then the Catholics must be given the credit for building St. Charles Borromeo Church (later St. Patrick) in 1857.
In the beginning the Methodists met in a private residence, and then in an old school building, until 1861 when they built their church on the same site as their present one, on the corner of Oak and Biddle. At the present time, more than one hundred fifty years since the first meeting of fourteen, the Methodist parish consists of approximately one thousand people.
The first formal structure of the Catholic church was St. Charles Borrmeo Church, built in 1855 on land deeded to Right Reverend Peter Paul Lefevere. It was named in honor of the founding French. But the most important reason for building St. Charles was that the Irish laborers at the Eureka Iron Works had to travel to Ecorse to attend Mass on Sundays at St. Francis Xavier Church. Father De Preiter, pastor of St. Francis, who recognized the need for a parish in Wyandotte now established a mission here and then became pastor of it. St. Charles was built on the present site of St. Patrick’s.
In 1873, during the pastorate of Father William De Beaver, the cornerstone of the larger and more beautiful church was laid. Just as they were ready to put in their roof and beautiful stained glass windows, a disaster struck. A high wind completely destroyed one of the walls. But besides the work on the church coming to a halt, the rolling mill, where most of the men worked, shut down and the men were out of work. A loan was obtained and the church wall was restored and roof put on, but there was no money for further construction.
The idled men were not only obliged to cut down on the economy but also on the spiritual side of life, for they were forced to divide their parish priest with St. Joseph’s, organized two years earlier. These two parishes were administered by one pastor until 1887 when Father Charles Sattel was made pastor of St. Joseph’s. In 1883, the work on the new church was finally resumed, this time under the pastorate of Father C.J. Roeper. After completely finishing the church, in 1886 Father Roeper began procedures for starting the work on a new convent which although altered and enlarged, was still housing the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters up until three years ago when they finally moved into their new convent, directly across the street from the church.
In 1889, during Father Laugell’s pastorate a rectory was completed and in 1906, the former church was torn down and replaced by a new school. But by 1914, the school was inadequate and was extended and at the same time the front of the church was remodeled. In 1888, the name of the church was changed to St. Patrick’s because of the majority of Irish parishioners. St. Patrick’s now boasts of a grade and high school, the new convent, and a remodeled church. The pastor and two assistants celebrate six Masses on Sunday and three on weekdays, although the city now has four more Catholic Churches within its boundaries.
The original Catholic parish in Lincoln Park was at first bounded by River Rouge on the east, Eureka Road on the west, Dearborn on the north and Electric Street on the south. Bishop Gallagher sent Father Vincent J. O’Toole to get acquainted with the area and the people who would be members of St. Henry’s Parish. Father O’Toole first called at the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Preston on South Bayside Street in Oakwood. Mr. Preston suggested the abandoned Oakwood School as the best start for the new church. Self-sacrificing men and women led by Mr. Preston and Ed Moxlow readied a room in the school. There on Sunday June 3, 1923 Father O’Toole celebrated the first mass of St. Henry’s Parish. The new parish numbered about twenty-five families. Albert Kaier sold Fr. O’Toole a five acre tract of land, which was located just within the village limits, for the site of the new church. This took place in September of 1923.
In 1925, when the village was still but a junction in Ecorse Township, a group of Presbyerians established the Allen Park Presbyterian Church, and a Lutheran mission as formed which later became Mt. Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church. Built in September of 1929, it is said to be the first in the area to serve Allen Parkers of that denomination. Other faiths in Allen Park worship in the Allen Park Baptist Church, St. Matthew’s United Lutheran Church, and the Angelica Lutheran Church.
The original Catholic parish in Lincoln Park was at first bounded by River Rouge on the east, Eureka Road on the west, Dearborn on the north and Electric Street on the south. Bishop Gallagher sent Father Vincent J. O’Toole to get acquainted with the area and the people who would be members of St. Henry’s Parish. Father O’Toole first called at the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Preston on South Bayside Street in Oakwood. Mr. Preston suggested the abandoned Oakwood School as the best start for the new church. Self-sacrificing men and women led by Mr. Preston and Ed Moxlow readied a room in the school. There on Sunday June 3, 1923 Father O’Toole celebrated the first mass of St. Henry’s Parish. The new parish numbered about twenty-five families. Albert Kaier sold Fr. O’Toole a five acre tract of land, which was located just within the village limits, for the site of the new church. This took place in September of 1923.
William Gentner was given the contract to build the temporary church, and in May of 1924, ground was broken. The people of the Parish themselves dug the basement for the church and rectory. With the help of farm equipment borrowed from Frank Kolb, the area had been cleared quickly. On Sunday October 5, 1924, the first Mass was said in the new temporary church. The parish now numbered more than 300 families.
The chief interest then became an appeal to the people of the parish not to vote for a bill which would compel the children to attend public schools. However the Ku Klux Klan, with its headquarters in Lincoln Park, tried to persuade the people to vote for the bill. They burned a cross on the bank across the creek and plastered “little red schoolhouse” stickers all over the church. Their plan only caused the people to become outraged and to defeat the bill. Father O’Toole fought the Ku Klux Klan by himself, because at that time the police department sympathized with them. Armed in his Army uniform and gun he let it be known that he would defend church property in his own way. At the end of 1924 and early 1925 other suspicious movements began in the area, said to be anti-Klan, but Father O’Toole warned his people to have nothing whatsoever to do with them and their movements.
In 1947, another Catholic parish was started for the people of Lincoln Park. The first Masses of Christ the Good Shepherd parish were said in the Hoover School. A modern plant is now in use and includes a church, elementary school and convent.
Approximately two dozen different Protestant denominations have organized congregations, rooting themselves in Lincoln Park to serve people of different faiths. One has a parochial school.
In 1926, St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Melvindale was organized. The first masses were said in the Dasher School. By 1947, the parish was so large that St. Francis Cabrini Parish was organized on the west end, now Allen Park. By 1948, a convent and school were in use, and an auditorium and parish hall were constructed. In 1954, a new church of contemporary design was built, also a rectory, at a total cost of $500,000. Twelve acres of land, across Outer Drive are now parish property, and the far-seeing people of this parish are now in the planning stages of the building of a new high school.
In 1811, Rev. Mr. Mitchell, a Methodist minister, held services for his church members in the home of William Weaver, a Catholic. At River Rouge, Rev. Gideon Lemming started the construction of the first Protestant church in Michigan in 1817. Unable to continue his plans because of illness, others took up his work. This church remained the only non-Catholic one in the area until two others were built in 1893.
By 1808 there were thirty Catholic families in River Rouge, and these were obliged to travel to St. Anne’s in Detroit for religious services. Father Gabriel Richard, pastor at St. Anne’s for many years, and associated with the early history of the city for many reasons, was responsible for the religious life of the whole downriver-area residents, to the Ohio borderline. River Rouge was at first a mission territory of St. Francis Xavier parish, founded from St. Anne’s by Father Richard for the Catholics of this territory.
Rev. Raymond Champion, originally of Bordeaux, France, and later of Rochester, New York, volunteered to serve the French-speaking Catholics of the area bordering the Detroit River. Father champion’s parish, St. Francis Xavier Parish, founded from St. Anne’s (as stated above), included Fort Wayne, River Rouge, Wyandotte, parts of Detroit, then called Oakwood and Delray, and a large section of farm lands, since divided into Lincoln Park and other outlying communities.
When Father Champion noticed that ninety families had settled in the “Anchorworks” –as the River Rouge territory was known—he established a mission and for many years conducted two high Masses and two vespers there every Sunday. The mission became Our Lady of Lourdes Church and Father E.J. Glemet, Father Champion’s nephew, became its first pastor. The parish is now one of the largest in the district and maintains a school attended by 1,300 pupils. It is a monument to the decades of service Father Champion gave to residents of the downriver district.
Older residents and members of the parish credit Father Champion with taking an active part in community projects. He was an enthusiastic lover or horses and in the days of the horse and buggy he was one of an eager group that raced horses across the ice of the Rouge River as a popular winter pastime.
On his Golden Anniversary as a priest, he was elevated to the dignity of Monsignor. Both St. Francis Xavier Parish and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish revere the memory of this valiant priest citizen, for he served both areas for many years.