Detroit — Passenger vans and strollers are some of the most common sights you will see as you visit St. Joseph Shrine in Detroit’s Eastern Market. The younger and larger families are a blast from the past for Eastern Market, which teemed with these families in the early 1900s.
The Catholic church has become a beacon of hope in this recovering neighborhood. Just over 10 years ago, St. Joseph’s Shrine was a somewhat dilapidated building in need of millions of dollars worth of repairs.
Today, it’s a thriving parish with over 400 registered families.
The church stands as a testament to unyielding determination in the face of political, economic, and religious strife in Detroit. How is this church able to survive in such an unlikely environment?
Faith is an integral part of the church’s journey. In 2021, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter called “Traditionis Custodes,” which aimed to curb the usage of the traditional form of the Catholic mass from 1962, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass.
The letter has had the opposite effect. Latin Masses have begun emerging in almost every diocese in the United States, especially attracting younger generations of people.
Instead of being attracted to the newer forms of the liturgy that incorporate modern and louder religious music, younger people prefer the low rhythm of Gregorian Chant, which originated during the 6th century.
To Rector Canon Commins, St. Joseph’s growth is a testament to the interest in the Traditional Latin Mass and Catholicism.
“People are looking for something that satisfies their whole nature,” Commins told Michigan Enjoyer. “Both of the sexes receive from the Traditional Mass something dear to their nature, including beauty and order.”
“It shows the vitality of the Shrine and the vitality of the faith in America,” Commins said. “The faith is not dead. We see all kinds of backgrounds that are drawn to the traditional liturgy and sacraments.”
Commins and the Shrine are a part of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a religious community that exclusively celebrates the Catholic Mass according to the liturgical books promulgated in 1962 by Pope Saint John XXIII.
The Latin Mass is the catalyst of this growth of St. Joseph’s community, according to Commins.
“The respect, sacredness, and silence of the liturgy contradicts the world where there is so much noise and disorder,” Commins said.
When Commins arrived at the parish in 2021, the church was in dire straits. The church building was falling apart. The bell tower required close to $3 million worth of repairs, which the small congregation could not bear.
“Eight years ago, there were less than 50 people in the pews for an average mass,” Commins said. “People were afraid to drive downtown.”
But the Shrine has changed a lot since the rector first arrived here four years ago. The $3 million restoration project, once thought to be unattainable, is almost done.
The parish has increased by over 100 families and shows no signs of stopping. Now with over 400 families as registered parishioners and hundreds more who regularly visit, the shrine is more worried about what to do with such an influx of attendees.
“We simply have no room for our Catechism classes,” Commins said. “There are over 90 kids in our Catechism classes with 70 more in our once-a-week co-op program.”
In the past year, the shrine has celebrated 30 baptisms and 15 weddings, all for parishioners. With such drastic increases, the parish has begun efforts to expand.
They have recently purchased one of the aforementioned empty plots of land, now named DeSales Park, where they intend to build a grade-school building, a community garden, and a social hall.
The surrounding Eastern Market area has become safer. Commins reports families are no longer afraid of driving in for mass. A few parishioners have even begun buying and restoring houses to be closer to the Shrine.
“Families are looking to move somewhere closer to the Shrine,” Commins said. “It is a sign of hope.”
St. Joseph’s Shrine stands as a sign of hope, not just for the future of the Traditional Latin Mass in America, but also for second chances in Detroit’s once-booming neighborhood.
Ray Hilbrich is a minor league baseball player in Utica, Michigan. He is an avid enjoyer of sports, America, and a good cigar.
