Saint Michael the Archangel Church (Monroe, Michigan)

St. Michael Church
Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Church
Exterior of St. Michael Church facing north on W Front Street.
Location Monroe, Michigan, United States
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website Official Church Website
History
Founded September 29, 1852
Consecrated October, 1867 (Present Church)
Architecture
Architectural type Gothic
Years built 1866-1867 (Present Church)
Groundbreaking June 12, 1866 (Present Church)
Specifications
Height 183 feet (steeple)
Bells 3 (Notes of Lower C, E, & G)
Administration
Archdiocese Detroit
Clergy
Priest(s) Rev. Phillip Ching
Deacon(s) Rev. Mr. Tracey Esper
Laity
Organist/Director of music Dr. Ray McLellan

Saint Michael the Archangel Church (St. Michael Church) is located on the west side of the city of Monroe, Michigan along the River Raisin. It is home to 1,200 families and it is one of most important religious institutes in Monroe County. It was founded in the year 1852. The present building was built from 1866-1867. It is in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Its current priest is Rev. Phillip Ching. When the parish was first established, the mayor of Monroe palatial residence was remodeled as a temporary church. It was used as a church on the first floor and on the second it was used for the school. Later it would only be used as St. Michael School. Then in 1866 the cornerstone for the present church was laid. The large 187 foot steeple wasn't added until 1883. In 1874 the 3-story rectory was built east of the church. In 1918 the parish built the present building of St. Michael School which is now a part of Monroe Catholic Elementary Schools. The movement to establish the parish started in 1845 by 14 German immigrants who wanted to worship in their native language. The only nearby church was St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception right across the river where St. Michael stands today. St. Mary's only worshiped in French and wouldn't hold services in other languages like German and Irish. The German and Irish families were forced to move to the second floor of the rectory to have mass in their native languages. When the German families were able to acquire land they were eager to leave St. Mary's to start a parish of their own. They first purchased an empty lot Humphrey Street but the plan was soon abandoned. They then purchased the first mayor of Monroe's estate to build the church and it remains the current site of the church.[1]

Inside of St. Michael's looking towards the three altars from the choir loft.

The inside of the church consists of many beautiful paintings and statues. The stations of the cross inside of the church are very large and one of a kind. They were added into the Church in the summer of 1923 when artisan Matthew Ising was paid to decorate St. Michael's. The original stained glass windows were donated at $100 each. The last remaining stained glass window from when the church was first built is the beautiful rose widow above the altar. The present windows were installed in the 1940s. St. Michael's has three breathtaking altars. There is an altar dedicated to Mary and Joseph and the main altar. Rev. Stephen Rooney (pastor 1995-2008) had the church repainted and remodeled in the late 1990s and the paintings were made to represent how the church once looked in the late 1800s. The three altars were painted, the wall in the middle of the choir loft that covered the beautiful stained glass window in the middle of the south end of the church was removed giving off more light, and organ was fixed and replaced. Hardwood floors were also added in the sanctuary and replaced the carpet that was there. In the main altar there are other statues besides the crucifix. They were added in the late 1990s to match the look of how the altar look before the original statues were removed. The original statues were removed in the late 1940s because the altar was leaning forward causing an angel at the top to lose its balance and fall nearly hitting Rev. Bernard C. Loeher (pastor 1947-1949) who was saying mass.They were taken to the basement and then removed from the basement in the 1970s. It is rumored the statues were taken to the city dump for disposal. For years the altar was empty until the late 1990s. The east entrance was also added in the 1980s when the church was being "touched up." The original cost of the church including the large steeple and beautiful bells was about $40,000. In 2002 St. Michael's celebrated their 150th anniversary. A book was dedicated to the 150-year history of the church titled Partners in Faith: 150 Years of Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Church written by Michael G. Roehrig, Today St. Michael's, led by Fr. Phil Ching and parishioners who care for the church, stands as one of the most historic and beautiful churches in Monroe and has a bright future ahead with many good things to come.

Location

St. Michael Church is located along the River Raisin on West Front Street in the city of Monroe, MI. The 183 foot steeple isn't hard to miss. When you come into Monroe you can easily see St. Michael's

Parish Prayer

A tradition at St. Michael Church is the parish prayer. It is said before the beginning of every mass. It reads:

Lord, God, we glorify Your holy name and thank you for calling us, the people of Saint Michael the Archangel Parish, to be one in the faith of Christ.

Bless our Pastor, the priests who serve us and our parish leaders with wisdom, strength and courage as they enable us to grow in holiness.

Bless our teachers and catechists. Give them understanding, patience and wisdom as they share their faith and knowledge with our children.

Bless our parish community. Protect our families and keep our children safe. Fill us with Your Divine Spirit and help us to be generous in our service to others. Forgive us when we sin.

We pray that the Mass sustains us and keeps us faithful to Your teachings. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

References

  1. ↑ "Our History". St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church. Retrieved 2016-09-05.

Coordinates: 41°55′04″N 83°24′16″W / 41.91778°N 83.40444°W / 41.91778; -83.40444

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