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Text adapted from:
"Saint Hedwig Roman Catholic Parish Detroit,
Michigan Founded July, 1903 A Centennial Jubilee
- 2003"
Early West Detroit
In 1859, a village named
Grand Junction existed along Junction Street
south of Chicago Road (now Michigan Avenue) and
was about one mile west of the city limits. The
village had a post office and a railroad station
serving the Michigan Central railroad and about
five other lines. In 1874 the village was
renamed Detroit Junction, and then in 1885,
annexed to the city. Two years later in 1887,
the area was known as West Detroit.
By the year 1882, Polish immigrants started to
settle west of Woodward and gradually continued
to move west in the coming years. The increasing
number of Poles led to the founding of St.
Casimir Church, the first west side polish
catholic church, on 23rd Street north of
Michigan Avenue in 1882. In 1889, another
church was needed further west, and St. Francis
d’ Assisi Church on Wesson Street and Buchanan
was founded. By 1902, the area on the south
side of Michigan Avenue from 29th Street to
Livernois began to look like a Polish district.
These Poles had immigrated from Malopolska or
“Lesser Poland”. Small frame homes were erected
around the area. Paved streets did not exist,
and public sewers were not installed until as
recent as 1897. The surrounding area had
remnants of brickyards with large pits in which
water had filled them creating artificial
lakes. The area was dominated by Polish and
German day laborers.
A
New Parish
The nearest parish for the new settlers was St.
Francis, and as more and more immigrants poured
into the area, St. Francis Church appeared too
small to accommodate all of the Poles from north
and south of Michigan Avenue. The Poles who
lived south of Michigan Avenue began to talk
about organizing a new parish in this area. A
group began to meet at the establishments owned
by Michael Wojcik at 894 Jun ction and by
Frank Kwilos at 122 Hammond Street to organize a
parish committee. This committee consisted of
Jacob Kronk, John Kos, Joseph Kudron, Michael
Wojcik, Lawrence Nizinski and Joseph Lula.
About three hundred families petitioned Bishop
John S. Foley for a new parish.
Bishop Foley was informed that a new parish
could not be organized because a large enough
population did not live in the area and those
that did were too poor to support a parish.
Bishop Foley appointed Fr. Paul Gutowski, pastor
of St. Casimir Parish, to further investigate
this matter. After an assessment by Fr.
Gutowski, Bishop Foley was convinced that a
parish south of Michigan Avenue could be
organized and supported by the Polish population
there. Subsequently in April of 1903, Bishop
Foley promised the people, that in a short time,
he would send a Polish priest to start a new
parish.
In June of 1903, twelve lots were purchased on
Junction Street between Norton and Rollins
streets (later renamed St. Hedwig and Konkel
streets) and here it was resolved to build a
church and school. On July 3, 1903, Bishop John
S. Foley appointed Father Jan Mueller, a
professor and vice rector of the Polish Seminary
in Detroit, as pastor and custodian of the new
St. Hedwig Parish. Fr. Mueller was born in
Lodz, Prussian Poland on December 19, 1865 came
to the United States in 1870 with his parents.
He was an energetic 38-year-old priest who had
studied in Rome.
Joseph G. Kastler, a Detroit Architect of the
firm Kastler & Hunter, prepared plans for a two
story building on the site. Work progressed
slowly, and in December 1903, the cornerstone
was blessed. The ceremony was performed by
Bishop John S. Foley surrounded by numerous
priests and a large crowd of the faithful from
various parishes numbering some 8,000 people and
including some 225 of the Kosciuszko Guard under
the command of Major Max S. Jurkewicz.
On Sunday, December 18, 1904, the first services
were held in the new building. The structure
was made of brick and stone with galvanized
cornice and a slate roof. The dimensions of the
building were 84 by 130 feet. The interior was
finished in hard plaster and hardwoods. The
upper floor of this structure was designed to be
used a church which could accommodate 1,200
people. The church only had one Altar at the
beginning, but two side altars were added
later. The lower floor contained four
classrooms and living quarters for the teaching
sisters. In the basement was a wide spacious
hall that served the Parish societies for
meetings, celebrations, performances, etc. The
approximate cost for the structure was $70,000
of which $30,000 was already paid off by this
point, leaving the Parish with a debt of
$40,000.
At the founding of the parish, three societies
were formed: the St. Hedwig Society, Rosary
Society, and the Young Ladies Sodality. As the
parish grew other societies were founded such as
Sweetest Heart of Mary, St. Joseph, St. Michael,
etc… Close to 300 students attended school
under the guidance of the Sisters of St. Felix
of Cantalice or commonly known as Felician
Sisters.
Problems Arise
Difficulties arose in 1905, and as described in
the local newspapers of the day, conflict seemed
to begin over the fact that the Pastor had come
from the Prussian part of Poland while the
people were “Galicians” from the Austrian part
of Poland. The people said that they had
difficulty understanding him. As problems
escalated, the Parish Committee began to come in
conflict with the Pastor in the operation of the
Parish. They especially sought to have a
“Galician” priest appointed as pastor. By June,
Bishop Foley had become involved and had
demanded on June 15 the committee return Church
books to the Pastor. They refused, so the
Bishop recalled the Pastor, ordered the Church
closed, and excommunicated the committee. By
August, Archbishop Symon of Poland, who had come
to the United States to survey the condition of
the immigrants, served as intermediary to settle
the dispute. A compromise was reached and on
August 27, the Church was reopened by Bishop
Foley whoa also removed the ban on the
committee. The committee had surrendered the
Church books and the Bishop promised a new
pastor. Some 3,000 faithful crowded into the
Church to attend the reopening services.
A New Beginning
The Jesuit Fathers from Poland under the
administration of Father Karol Janowski took
care of the church for six weeks from August 25th
until October 8, 1905. With the guidance of
Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore, Bishop Foley
invited the Conventual Franciscans, who resided
in Buffalo New York, to come to Detroit,
offering them St. Hedwig Parish. Father
Bartholomew Szczerba, a Conventual Franciscan
from Poland became the pastor of St. Hedwig on
Sunday, October 8, 1905. Fr. Szczerba moved
into a home owned by Mr. Nizinski at 1108
Junction Street. The new Pastor set to work
energetically with the help of the parishioners
to develop the Parish.
In January 1906, the Jesuit missionaries
celebrated the first mission with Father
Janowski officiating. This mission lasted two
weeks. At this point, the parish began to grow,
and soon it became obvious that it was time for
Father Szczerba to have an assistant. Following
the mission, Father Patrick Topolski, who had
been educated in Europe, arrived to help. Later
that year, the Parish purchased a house at 1111
Junction Street, which would serve as a convent
for the six Felician Sisters who taught in the
school. =The Sisters existing living quarters
at the school were converted into much needed
classroom space.
In 1907, Father Szczerba hired general
contractor J.J. Kudron to build a wooden
addition to the back of the Church/School
building. Within two months, the new addition
was complete with four spacious classrooms that
could accommodate approximately 400 children.
St. Hedwig Parish was expanding and it appeared
that the temporary rectory proved too small.
Therefore, in 1908, Architect Joseph G. Kastler
designed the present rectory, and Joseph
Nowakowski was contracted to build the
three-story, 70-foot by 40-foot brick rectory.
On March 17, 1909, the Franciscan moved into the
completed rectory, which cost nearly $20,000 to
construct. In September of the same year,
Father Topolski was recalled and in his place
was sent to assist Father Szczerba, a
twenty-four year old priest, Father Eustace
Bartoszewicz, who for two years after his
ordination, had fulfilled his duties at Corpus
Christi Parish in Buffalo.
The Need for Expansion
Prior to World War I, especially from 1910 to
1914, an increasing number of Polish immigrants
arrived in the United States and many settled in
the Detroit area. Lack of room for the children
in the school and lack of room for the faithful
in the church were both evident in the Parish.
There was talk that a new Church was needed. By
this time, the Parish had swelled to over 1,000
families. The number of Felician Sisters
increased to fifteen and it became apparent that
the house on Junction Street was too small. In
1910, the Parish purchased twelve lots on the
other side of Rollins Street (now Konkel
Street). Parish property now was bisected by
Rollins Street After the investigation of
Alderman X.B. Konkel, a parishioner, the city
gave permission to join the parish grounds into
one large parcel. The Parish returned to the
city Rollins Street with as much land as the
city needed for a through street behind Parish
grounds. To remember the good deed of X.B.
Konkel, John Kronk, a Detroit City Councilman
and a parishioner, endeavored to change Rollins
Street to Konkel. Also, at that time, it was
decided to change Norton Street to St. Hedwig
Street, Ingersoll to Kopernick, and Julia to
Kulick. All of these streets can now be found
in the Parish neighborhood to this day.
In 1911 the Architect, Harry J. Rill designed
plans for a new church and also a residence with
enough space to house thirty Sisters. Due to
the fact that both buildings were necessary and
sufficient loans for both buildings impossible
to obtain, it was decided to build a convent for
the Sisters and only the “Lower” church until
sufficient finds became available to complete
the church. In March 1911, work began in
building the sisters’ home and the church
basement. The contract for the carpentry was
given to John J. Kudron and the masonry contract
was given to Joseph Nowakowski. The cornerstone
was performed by Bishop Edward Kelly in the
middle of July 1911. By November of the same
year, a high conveniently spacious, wide chapel
had been completed. With the help of many
parishioners, everything was transferred from
the old church to the new chapel. On Sunday,
November 12, the first Mass was celebrated. The
chapel’s height was 16 feet and had enough room
to seat 1,800 people. In the old building, the
top floor was converted into classroom space.
In the beginning of 1912, Father Raymond Marcin
was sent by the Provincial to help in parish
work. He stayed until 1915 when he was
appointed as the pastor of the new Our Lady
Queen of Angels Parish, a daughter parish of St.
Hedwigs. In September, Fr. Szczerba who had
been the pastor of the Parish for seven years
and who had really developed it, was recalled by
his superiors to Poland. At that time, Father
Eustace Bartoszewicz, who had been Father
Szczerba’s assistant for three years, was
appointed pastor and guardian. Both the parish
and school were continuing to grow. More room
was soon needed. In July 1913, workmen began
building a twelve-classroom school to be joined
to the existing school. By February 1914, the
new space was in use.
The Building and Expansion
Continues
By 1913, the parish had paid off its debts and,
in the beginning of 1915, the Pastor thought it
was time to complete the church proposed by his
predecessor, Father Szczerba. Harry J. Rill,
the architect, distributed plans among
contractors for bids. The low bidders received
the work. Joseph Nowakowski received the
masonry contract, Thomas Jurkiewicz the
plumbing, and Leonard P. Stentzler for the
painting and decorating. In April, work had
begun on the church. By December 1915, the
church structure was complete. Many more months
were needed to paint and decorate the interior.
On November 20, 1916 Bishop Edward Kelly blessed
the church. There were present many Franciscan
and diocesan priests. Approximately 3,000
faithful filled the magnificent church to
witness this solemn occasion.
All of the Parish Societies contributed to the
$5,000 cost of the High Scagliola Altar. It is
an original, the work of the Daprato Statuary
Company of Detroit. They are also responsible
for the other statues and the stations of the
cross. In 1917, the Vorrler-Holtkamp Sparling
Organ Company of Cleveland, Ohio completed the
installation of the pipe organ. In 1918, the
artistic stained glass windows were placed in
the church by the Daprato Statuary Company The
donors’ names can be read on each window.
In 1919, the Parish began building a large,
three story school with a basement on St. Hedwig
Street. On the first and second floors were to
be sixteen large classrooms. The third floor
was finished off as a eight lane bowling alley.
The architect was Harry J. Rill and the cost of
the new school building was $160,000. In March
of the same year, digging began for the
foundation. On May 30th, Memorial
Day, Bishop Gallagher blessed the cornerstone
for this new school. After nine months, this
school on St. Hedwig Street was completed. In
February 1920, children from the old school’s
upper floors entered their new classrooms.
Immediately work began on setting up a Parish
hall in the area where services had been held
and later where temporary classes had been
held. The wooden partitions were torn down and
a large stage was built. The well-known local
painter Leonard P. Stentzler did the decorations
and scenery. The Hall was completed in
December, and on December 26, St. Stephen’s Day,
a public open house was held.
In June 1921, the Detroit area and especially
the neighborhood had a heavy downpour. As a
result, the basements in the surrounding homes
and the Church basement itself were flooded with
water two feet deep. The interior of the lower
church or chapel was devastated. After the
Pastor’s personal inspection, the lower church
was restored and the entire chapel was
repainted. Three new side altars were purchased
by the Parish societies from the Daprato
Statuary Company.
The Felician Sisters, who had staffed the school
so successfully since the beginning of the
school, did not have enough sisters to keep up
with the large influx of students which had
grown from 300 to 2,400 in 1923. As a result
the Felicians left St. Hedwig in June 1923. To
replace them, in September 1923, the Franciscan
Sisters of St. Joseph from Buffalo arrived.
They remained in the school until the St. Hedwig
Schools closed permanently in 1995.
In 1924, the project to enlarge the sisters’
convent began. The existing building could only
accommodate thirty sisters, and with the
addition, it could now house forty sisters. The
addition had thirteen comfortable bedrooms, a
high chapel, dining room and kitchen. Stanley
Bozek received the contract to do the work. In
March 1925, Father Bartoszewicz blessed the new
section of the convent. At the end of April 1926
the building campaign continued, digging had
begun for the foundation of a new school
building on Konkel Street. The Polish architect
Ladislaus Garsztecki had drawn plans for this
new structure. The entire building was to be
fireproof. The first and second floors had
twelve classrooms. The third floor has a
spacious gm for basketball with a four-foot
gallery around the entire space. The building
was completed in the early part of January 1927.
St. Hedwig Parish celebrated it’s silver jubilee
in 1928. Early that year, Three bells were
purchased from the Meneelly Bell Company in Troy
New York, and were installed in the south
tower. At the same time, five clocks were
installed in both towers of the church. Bishop
Joseph Plagens blessed the bells. During the
year, many celebrations were held and
commemorative items were given out including a
commemorative medal, a poster, and a
commemorative book was printed.
St. Hedwig Parish Prospers
After the Jubilee celebrations, life moved on at
St. Hedwig’s. By 1939, a High School was
established and it now had grades nine and ten
with 135 students. The elementary school at
this time had 1,129 students. In 1941, the high
school grew to a fully accredited four-year high
school. In the following year, 1942, Fr.
Eustace Bartoszewicz who had labored and truly
built up St. Hedwig Parish was reassigned to Our
Lady Queen of Angels, who had been at St. Hedwig
for nearly thirty-three years, and ending a
thirty-year assignment as Pastor. Fr. Florian
Zaklikowski replaced Fr. Bartoszewicz as
pastor. However, he became ill and was replaced
by Fr. Ladislaus Surak, the interim Pastor in
1945.
On September 15, 1945, Fr. Callistus Winiarz was
appointed pastor. During his term, which lasted
until 1951, the Parish hall was modernized and
the lower church was remodeled. He also put
rubber on the kneelers in the upper church. The
bowling alley was modernized at a cost of
$7,881. In 1948, the population of the parish
was estimated to be approximately 7,500 adults
and children, about 1,500 families. There were
698 students in the Elementary School and 345
students in the High School.
In 1951, Fr. Bartholomew Snella was appointed as
Pastor. He served until 1963. During his term,
in 1953, the parish celebrated its Golden
Jubilee. Many events took place during the
year. In June, the Golden Jubilee float,
designed by Walter Jajae, won first place and a
trophy in the Catholic War Veterans National
Convention Parade. The Holy Name Society held a
Gold Jubilee Ball on September 19 at Dom Polski.
In 1963, Fr. Paul Czubaj became pastor. During
his term, new plans were made for the future of
the buildings on the St. Hedwig property. New
space was needed for the changing times both for
the church and for the school. The High School
needed updated facilities and the church needed
additional parking, which it lacked. As a
result, a master plan was developed for the St.
Hedwig Property including a “new” High School
building that would join the Konkel and St.
Hedwig Street buildings. The new modern
structure would house six classrooms,
laboratories for physics, chemistry and biology,
and rooms for drafting and typing. It was to
cost $700,000. The old school and parish hall
would be demolished to make way for a parking
lot as soon as the new structure was completed.
The architectural firm of Herman, Simons, and
Bassett planned the project. Fr. Callistus
Winiarz, the former pastor, returned to the
Parish as Pastor from 1966 to 1969. During his
second term, the master plan as developed by his
predecessor, Fr. Czubaj, was carried out. The
new structure was completed and the original
building (1903) and addition (1913) on the site
was razed. The High School graduating class of
1968 was the first class to occupy the new
building. When the old hall was demolished, a
need arose for a new parish hall. At that time,
the parish numbers were decreasing and it was
apparent that a lower church was no longer
needed. As a result, the lower church was
dismantled and remodeled into a parish hall
which is in continued use today.
In 1969, Fr. Anthony Kaleciak became Pastor. In
was during his term, which lasted until 1972,
that the upper church was painted at a cost of
approximately $40,000. During the term of the
next Pastor, Fr. Bernard Michalik, from 1972 to
1975, the school hall and kitchen were
modernized and new kneelers were added to the
Church.
On September 10, 1975 Fr. John Joseph Mikula who
had been baptized and attended school at St.
Hedwig’s, became Pastor. He added a new marble
altar and made other changes in keeping with
Vatican II liturgical requirements. Bishop
Walter Schoenherr consecrated the new altar and
ambo on November 11, 1978. The altar and ambo
were designed by Angelo Lanzini of San Mateo,
California, fashioned, and constructed in
Italy. Other improvements that were made: art
work in the church was completely redone, the
stations of the cross were repainted, the
stained glass windows were repainted and glazed
on the exterior, new doors were added to the
front of the Church. In 1978 the parish
celebrated its Diamond Jubilee. A special Mass
of Thanksgiving was held with twenty-four
concelebrants led by Bishop Walter Schoenherr.
An especially moving musical program conducted
by parishioner Gregory Kasza, who led the
combined choirs of St. Hedwig and St.
Christopher, along with thirty-three musicians
largely from the University of Michigan. There
was approximately 1,700 people in attendance. A
Diamond Jubilee Banquet was held at the Knights
of Columbus Hall on Larkins near Michigan Avenue
with a crowd of 732 people.
In 1984, Fr. Michael Rozewicz became Pastor of
St. Hedwig. During his term, which lasted until
1987, the tuck pointing of the Church was
begun. A new rood was also put on the Sisters’
convent. Fr. James P. Henning became Pastor in
1987 and he remained until 1990. Under his
administration, tuck pointing continued. In
eighteen months, $103,000 was raised to repair
the distinctive twin Church towers. The Knokel
building’s roof was also repaired. During this
time, the Head Start Program came to St.
Hedwig. After serving as the education center
for many thousands of students over the years,
low enrollment and financial constraints forced
the closing of St. Hedwig High School in June,
1990. It was a sad day for the St. Hedwig
family.
End of an Era
In August of 1990, Fr. Aloysius Romanowski came
to St. Hedwig. Under his administration, the
Church roof was extensively repaired. The
interior of the Church was decorated with gold
leaf thanks to the generosity of many people.
Over $80,000 was expended to renovate the
heating system in the Church and St. Hedwig
Street buildings. In 1992, the vacant Konkel
Street building was rented to the Detroit Board
of Education and, after renovation opened its
door as the Academy of the Americas, a school of
“choice” in where the students are taught basic
education in English and Spanish. All during
1993, the Parish celebrated its 90th
Anniversary with many events sponsored by parish
organizations. The 90th Anniversary
was a bittersweet occasion. While the parish
celebrated its accomplishments, it was announced
the Conventual Franciscan Friars would be
withdrawing from the parish in July of 1994.
The Conventual Franciscans ministered at St.
Hedwig for close to 89 years.
A New Beginning, Again
One chapter closed in the history of St. Hedwig
Parish, but a new one opened. In August of
1994, Fr. Kenneth Chase was appointed pastor and
guardian of St. Hedwig. Fr. Chase was the first
diocesan Pastor since Fr. Jan Mueller in 1905.
In 1995, due to low enrollment, the Elementary
school closed its doors. The three school
building behind the church were sold to the
Detroit Board of Education, and after more
renovation the Academy of the Americas occupied
all three buildings. During the administration
of Fr. Chase, a passenger elevator was
installed in the North Tower, the rectory was
remodeled, and the church towers were completely
restored, and the Latino Cultural Pastoral
Center opened its doors in the old convent, to
held serve the growing Hispanic population
around St. Hedwig.
Fr. Christopher Maus, came to St. Hedwig in
1998. During the tenure of Fr. Maus the
following improvements were made: installation
of a new slate roof on the church, re-glazing
and restoration of the exterior protective
covers for the stained glass windows, repainting
of the entire Lower Church Hall along with the
floor, installation of new carpet in the
Sanctuary, a new sound systems was installed
both in the Church and in the Lower Church Hall,
renovation of the old Sacristy in the lower
church hall as a new meeting room, creation of
the new Heritage Room, and for the first time
added a Spanish Mass to the schedule to better
help serve the Hispanic population which has
grown three-fold from 1993 until 2003 in
Southwest Detroit. The 12:30 Sunday Mass was
added in September 2003.
In 2003, Saint Hedwig Parish celebrated its
Centennial Jubilee. Many events were planed
throughout the year. A Parish Mission was
conducted in March, Alumni Day in May, Marriage
Recognition in June, the Heritage Room was
dedicated in September with Bishop Thomas
Gumbleton, and in November the Centennial Mass
was celebrated with Adam Cardinal Maida with
former pastors and priests from the vicariate
concelebrating.
Today
In 2004, Fr. Robert J. Wojciechowski was
appointed pastor of St. Hedwig Parish and was
clustered with St. Francis D'Assisi Parish.
During his time at St. Hedwig, Fr. Wojciechowski
continued to help grow both parishes, planning
for the future by growing the Spanish ministry
at both Churches as well promoting both Spanish
and Polish culture, history and traditions.
On April 8, 2011 Fr. Wojciechowski passed
away suddenly.
In 2011, the PIME Missionaries (PIME stands for
the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in
Latin) came to St. Hedwig and St. Francis under
the care of the new pastor Fr. Kenneth Mazur, PIME
and assistant pastor Ravi T. Marneni, PIME.
In 2012, Fr. Ravi T. Marneni, PIME
was appointed as Administor.
In July 2013, St. Hedwig Parish and St. Francis
D'Assisi Parish merged into one new parish named
St. Francis D'Assisi-St. Hedwig Parish.
Fr. Ravi T. Marneni, PIME
was appointed pastor of the new parish.
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