Polish Parishes and Churches in Michigan, Massachusetts and Minnesota, part I

The Church of St. Albertus is the mother church for Polish parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit. It was a spiritual home for many immigrants from Poland until the parish was closed in 1990. The building was saved thanks to the activity of the local Polish community.

The history of the parish dates back to the 1880s, when the first Polish religious community was established on the outskirts of historic Detroit. The church designed by Henry Engelbert  was an impressive structure with more than 2000 seats. It was about 60 meters long and 20 meters wide with a spire reaching 85 meters. At that time it was the second largest Polish church in the USA.

The history of St. Casimir’s parish dates back to 1882, when the first church was erected. Then, in 1889, a new church was built.  The altars were commissioned from A. Osebold, the stained glass windows from George Misch from Chicago. In 1961 St. Casimir’s Church was demolished and replaced with a structure which was smaller and cheaper to maintain. However, the parish was closed in 1989.

The current church was erected between 1903 and 1905; it measures 70 by 37 meters and is designed for as many as 1700 people. It was built at a substantial cost of about 145,000 dollars, which corresponds to about 4,500,000 dollars today.  The church was designed by the architectural office Detroit Architects Kastler and Hunter.

The interior of the church is dominated by religious symbolism without clear national references. In the chancel there are Henry B. Drolshagen’s paintings based on popular pictures – Murillo’s Immaculate Conception and Raphael’s Transfiguration. In the main altar there is a figure of St. Francis next to the  Crucifixion scene.

On 4 June, 1928 there was a consecration of St. Francis’ Church and the relics of St. Timothy and St. Theophilus were placed in the altar; the original film from the ceremony has been preserved.

St. Josaphat’s was historically the third Polish parish founded in Detroit, after St. Albertus and St. Casimir.  The church was constructed in 1900. Parish had strong national traditions, it was called the stronghold of Polish faith and patriotism. 

National themes were included in the interior decoration. A version of Jerzy Kossak’s painting The Battle of Warsaw was painted there in the 1950s, as well as a variation on Włodzimierz Tetmajer’s painting from 1900 Procession in Bronowice, which turns into a pilgrimage to Częstochowa. The vault shows a vision of the Mother of God as Queen of Poland surrounded by saints, mostly those connected with Poland.

It is one of the most magnificent churches in the city. It was designed by the Spier & Rohns architectural office, and was described – not without some exaggeration – as the largest and most magnificent Polish church in the USA.

The cornerstone for the construction of the church was laid in 1892 and the construction of the temple was completed in 1893. In 1974, the building was listed on the Michigan State Historic Site Register, and in 1978 on the US National Register of Historic Places.

The stained glass windows were made by Detroit Stained Glass; reportedly they were awarded during the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

The Church is deeply ingrained in the local history. When the church was built, the area was a huge construction site. It was very busy, trade and services developed, and so did Polish social and cultural institutions such as the Fredro Theater and the Polish House. In the late 1940s St. Stanislaus’ was the largest Polish parish school in Michigan.

The church itself has not fulfilled its original function since 1989. First it changed hands a few times, then it was sold to a religious community, now it has been put up for sale again.

The design was entrusted to the large architectural office Worthmann & Steinbach.Works were carried out by Józef Nowakowski’s company, a leading Polish construction company in Detroit, which had constructed St. Hedwig of Silesia’s Church. The works started in 1923 and the building was completed in 1925.

The number of believers slowly but steadily decreased. Eventually the fate of the church was sealed by a fire in 2006. The last Mass took place on 28 October, 2007, on St. John Cantius Day. The furnishings were transferred to other churches.