The first Polish parish was established here in 1899, after the land had been purchased and the bishop of Detroit John Samuel Foley had appointed a parish priest, Father Bernard Żmijewski. Initially the Masses were held in St. Patrick’s Church. The parishioners wanted their church to be dedicated to Our Lady of the Scapular, but this was not accepted by the curia, and the parish was dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel instead. However, the parishioners still preferred the Scapular dedication.