St. Joseph Shrine (formerly St. Joseph Oratory and St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church), founded in 1855, is a historic

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

church located at 1828 Jay Street in the Eastern Market– Lafayette Park neighborhood area just outside downtown

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, on the city's central east side. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1972, and deemed "of national importance" because of its stained glass. Three subsidiary buildings—the rectory, convent, and the Wermers House—were added to the listing in 1992. It is a parish of the

Archdiocese of Detroit The Archdiocese of Detroit ( la, Archidiœcesis Detroitensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. It is ...

, and presently a

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

dedicated to the celebration of the pre-

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

liturgy (the

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated almo ...

) under the care of the canons of the

Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP; la, Institutum Christi Regis Summi Sacerdotis []; french: Institut du Christ Roi Souverain Prêtre []) is a Roman Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right in communion with ...

Architecture

Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Detroit, MI) - nave, rear

The Gothic structure of the church, inspired by Himpler's church St. Katharina (1860-1863) in

Wallerfangen Wallerfangen is a municipality of Saarlouis district, Saarland, Germany. Located west of Saarlouis and along the French border, it is the seat of the villages of Ittersdorf, Ihn, Leidingen, St. Barbara, Kerlingen, Gisingen, Rammelfangen, Oberlim ...

(

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...

), had its cornerstone laid in 1870 and was dedicated in 1873, making it one of the oldest extant churches in Detroit. Francis G. Himpler, an

Ottweiler Ottweiler () is a municipality, former seat of the district of Neunkirchen, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Blies The Blies () is a right tributary of the Saar in southwestern Germany (Saarland) and northeastern France (Mosel ...

(Germany)-born New York architect, designed the building which is considered one of the Midwest's best examples of Victorian Gothic architecture, especially so because the structure is effectively unaltered. The building is distinguished by its stained glass, notable in its intricate designs and wide usage. Also of note is the woodwork, statuary, and original

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganis ...

in the interior. St. Joseph Church was placed on the

in 1972; the buildings in the surrounding complex were added in 1992.

Traditional worship

In its time as a parish church, St. Joseph continued traditional worship throughout its history, maintaining the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

language, alongside vernacular

and

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, in its Novus Ordo Masses after the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

. Many Masses were celebrated ad orientem, with a free-standing altar available for priests who preferred it. In Fall 2007, after a 37-year absence, the parish reinstated the Latin

, which was widely replaced when

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

promulgated the Novus Ordo Mass in 1969. The parish is known for its musical heritage, offering orchestral Masses composed by the likes of

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

, Mozart,

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

, and lesser known composers on certain Sundays and Holy Days, and maintaining traditional choir and organ music. The St. Joseph

tracker organ Tracker action is a term used in reference to pipe organs and steam calliopes to indicate a mechanical linkage between keys or pedals pressed by the organist and the valve that allows air to flow into pipe(s) of the corresponding note. This is ...

is a powerful instrument in a fine acoustical space. Originally built by J. H. & C. S. Odell for the present Church structure in 1873, the organ was greatly altered about 1910 and again in the early 1940s. Having declined into unplayability, it was replaced for the celebration of the church building's centennial in 1973 by the organ builder William M. Worden, using many of the Odell pipes. It currently contains twenty-nine stops.

Current status

On June 19, 2013, by a decree from Allen H. Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit, the clustered parishes of St. Joseph, Sweetest Heart of Mary and St. Josaphat were merged to create the new Mother of Divine Mercy Parish. On August 29, 2016, Archbishop Vigneron announced that effective October 2016, St. Joseph Church would be separated from Mother of Divine Mercy Parish to become St. Joseph Oratory under the care of the

and would be dedicated to the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass. The first Mass under the watch of the canons of the Institute was celebrated on October 16, 2016. The Reverend Canon Jean-Baptiste Commins currently serves as rector of the shrine. Previously on the verge of closing, after the Institute of Christ the King priests arrived, the parish has seen large growth, especially amongst young people and young families. In March 2020, Archbishop Vigneron granted the church the title of "shrine". The church was featured in a 2022 article by the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

about the Latin Mass in America following Traditionis custodes, a papal letter issued by Pope Francis limiting the Latin Mass.

Gallery

Image:Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Detroit, MI) - exterior.jpg, Façade of the church Image:Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Detroit, MI) - portal.jpg, Portal Image:Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Detroit, MI) - cornerstone, 1870.jpg, Cornerstone Image:StJosephsParishHouse.jpg, Parish rectory house next door to the church

References

External links

St. Joseph Shrine websiteFrancis G. Himpler, architect
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joseph Catholic Church, Detroit, Michigan Roman Catholic churches in Detroit German-American culture in Detroit Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit Religious organizations established in 1855 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1873 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan German-American history 1855 establishments in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Detroit