OUR HISTORY

ST. ALBERTUS, SWEETEST HEART OF MARY AND ST. JOSAPHAT.

ONLY A FEW HUNDRED POLISH FAMILIES CALLED DETROIT THEIR HOME BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR. JUST A FEW DECADES LATER, THAT NUMBER HAD INCREASED TO 35,000.”

Detroit’s Polish population grew rapidly during the economic boom that transformed the city in the late 19th century. Only a few hundred Polish families called Detroit their home before the Civil War. Just a few decades later, that number had increased to 35,000. Many of these new immigrants took jobs as laborers in Detroit’s growing industrial landscape.

Though the Polish population had adapted well to American work life, there was one aspect of their identity they were unwilling to compromise on. To be Polish was to be Catholic. For much of the 19th century, Poland was fought over by Russia, Germany and Austria. One aspect of life that endured during these troubled years was their deep Catholic faith. The Polish people took immense pride in their homegrown, passionate priests and ornate, magnificent churches. Polish immigrants in Detroit wished to have their own parish, with a priest who spoke their language and understood their culture, and a church that resembled what they would find back home.

The first Polish immigrants in Detroit attended Mass at St. Joseph Parish, a predominantly German parish. But as their numbers continued to increase, they sought and were given permission to establish a new parish. In 1872,

JOE BOGGS, a parishioner at St. John the Baptist in Monroe, currently serves as the co-chair of the Evangelization & Catechesis Committee for the Monroe Vicariate. He has been married to his wife Bridget for six years and teaches history at a public high school in Perrysburg, Ohio.

on the corner of St. Aubin and Canfield, construction began for St. Albertus. During the church’s first decade, local newspaper reports indicate the Polish congregants engaged in parish festivals, concerts and family gatherings. Many of these traditions continue today, including the Sweetest Heart of Mary’s parish festival.

PIEROGIES, MUSIC AND DANCING

Sweetest Heart of Mary’s Taste of the Pierogi Festival was in full swing this year after the coronavirus pandemic placed most parish festivals in the Archdiocese of Detroit on hold in 2020, and scaled back others. Brian McClory, the organizer of Sweetest Heart of Mary Church’s Pierogi Festival in Detroit, said, “When we announced we’d be having the full festival this year, the reaction was tremendous. We have a dedicated Facebook page and had nearly 16,000 hits on the first day the flier went up. People are anxious to get back out and have some fun.”

The festival menu included a pierogi dinner, a Polish combination plate dinner, naleśniki (Polish fruit-filled crêpes), American-style hot dogs and hamburgers. People gathered around tents with bands and a dance floor. McClory said Sweetest Heart of Mary started planning for the Pierogi Festival in May, providing enough time for the parish to organize what is far and away the largest annual fundraiser for the parish. In a normal year, work on planning the Pierogi Festival begins in September and October the year before.

“I was comfortable with the team we have in place now, the volunteer staff and the vendors who do all of this,” McClory shared. “The festival is a big part of who we are. We (usually have) crowds of 5,000 to 6,000 people who come to our campus. This is us giving back to the community, fostering community with our hospitality and showing what Sweetest Heart of Mary is all about.” This parish festival preserves the Polish Catholic traditions and shares it with the broader community.

FILLING UP ON FAT TUESDAY

Another beloved Polish tradition in Southeast Michigan is “Pączki Day,” which takes place on Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. People line up outside bakeries in Hamtramck in the wee hours of the morning to indulge in pączki. These deep-fried

THE FESTIVAL IS A BIG PART OF WHO WE ARE. THIS IS US GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, FOSTERING COMMUNITY WITH OUR HOSPITALITY AND SHOWING WHAT SWEETEST HEART OF MARY IS ALL ABOUT.

— BRIAN MCCLORY

pastries are sphere-shaped, stuffed with sweet fillings and often glazed. New Palace Bakery is one of Hamtramck's bakeries that specializes in Polish pastries. According to Suzy Ognanovich, one of the owners, the pastry is an age-old recipe that originated in Poland. Mothers and grandmothers, desperate to empty their pantries in anticipation of fasting in Lent, tossed together all their flour, butter, lard, sugar and jams, creating one final savory pleasure before 40 days of sacrifice began.

While “Pączki Day” has Catholic roots, it has become a beloved tradition for people of all faith backgrounds and walks of life. Ken Morgulac, a parishioner and catechism teacher at St. Mary Parish in St. Clair, has brought a different friend with him each year to accompany him as he waits in line to pick up pączki. “It can be evangelistic, especially if you talk about (faith),” Morgulac shared. “Honestly, that is kind of why I am doing it — it gives me a chance to talk about my faith with some other people.”

Others join in just for the fun. Ray Carlson stood in line for hours and has done so for 20 years. He waits in line on behalf of his wife of 51 years, with a list of pączki that she wants. “It is something that we do — we do it every year. It's about the family memories, so I stand in line and bring them home.” Carlson was accompanied by his nephew, Lance Granata. “I am really just here for this experience and to meet people,” Granata said. AN ONGOING LEGACY

The Taste of the Pierogi Festival and “Pączki Day” are just two of the many traditions that the Polish Catholic community has brought to the Catholic culture of the Archdiocese of Detroit and beyond. Just 60 years ago, Polish Americans made up more than one-fifth of Detroit’s nearly 2 million residents. Around that same time, urban renewal and relocation projects began to chip away at this and other communities, drastically changing the cultural and physical landscape on the city’s east side.

Today, the three Catholic churches on Canfield are in very different situations. St. Albertus, the first Polish Catholic church in Detroit, was closed in 1990 due to a rapid decline in parishioners during the second half of the 20th century. It is now operated by the Polish American Historic Site Association (PASHA). Mass is celebrated monthly and weddings and tours can be reserved.

Sweetest Heart of Mary and St. Josaphat merged in 2013 to form Mother of Divine Mercy Parish. Polish-born Father Greg Tokarski was assigned to lead the new parish. Father Tokarski admits that the first few years were difficult. “Long-time parishioners of Sweetest Heart refused to attend Mass at St. Josaphat, and vice versa,” he recalled. Carol Sniezyk, who has been a member of the parish for six decades, noted that during the first years of the merged parish, many referred to themselves as “St. Josaphat” or “Sweetest Heart” parishioners. In recent years, Carol has watched these same people share parish dinners and work together at festivals. As the old divisions began to fall away, Father Tokarski is proud that his parish now feels like “family.”

The earliest years of the three Polish churches on Canfield paved the way for a brighter future for the Church in Detroit through cherished traditions and a community unified by a shared history and ongoing legacy.