Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church
Encyclopedia
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church is a church located at 13770 Gratiot Avenue in Detroit, Michigan
. It is currently known as the Assumption Grotto Church. The church was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1990 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1991.
The church is a basilica-plan Neo-Gothic, structure, faced with limestone. The interior of the church includes altars and communion rails of Italian marble and stained glass windows illustrating scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and the saints.
The rectory and convent are constructed of red brick, and the modest boiler house is located next to the convent. A cemetery containing a variety of monuments spanning from the early 19th century to the present is behind the church. A large statue of Our Lady of Lourdes
stands on the grounds facing Gratiot.
Near the rear of the cemetery is the grotto. The shrine is constructed from imported limestone. Boulders placed around the shrine (as well as in the cemetery) were carted in by farmers from all parts of Michigan. Some of the stones and many of the limestone pieces are carved with names and dedications. In the front of the Grotto a fountain is inscribed with the words, "Glory to the One Triune God, Now and Forever."
When German immigrants first came to Detroit in 1830, they arrived in the middle of a cholera
epidemic. Avoiding the city, they traveled north along Gratiot, settling in an area where a handful of French Roman Catholics already lived. The Germans established a small selltement named Connor's Creek and built a log church at the site where this church now stands. They called the building Kirchen Wald (Church in the Woods), and Redemptionist missionaries offered Roman Catholic services in the structure. The name was later changed to "Chapel of the Assumption" and later "St. Mary's in the Woods" before being designated the "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church."
In 1847, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church was designated a parish—only the second in what is now Detroit. In 1852, the first full-time pastor, Father Amandus Vandendriessche, was assigned to the church. He began building a permanent brick structure, which was completed by the end of 1852 and sat 500. In 1876, Vandendriessche visited France
, and was so impressed by the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
that he had a replica of the grotto, designed by Peter Dederichs, created at the church. The grotto was completed in 1881. On April 30, 1882, Pope Leo XIII
signed a proclamation granting partial and plenary indulgences for anyone who visited the Grotto and prayed for the propagation of the faith.
As Detroit grew in the early 20th century, so did the parish. When the 1852 church burned, construction began on a third church in 1907. A rectory was added to the complex in 1917 - 1918 and a matching convent building was constructed in the early 1920s. However, the population continued to grow, and to meet the needs of the larger congregation, the current, larger church was built in 1928-1929. It was designed by the Detroit architectural firm of Aloys Frank Herman, and dedicated on September 22, 1929.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is currently known as the Assumption Grotto Church. The church was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1990 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1991.
Description
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church Complex consists of multiple structures: the church, a convent, a rectory, a cemetery, and the grotto, along with a utilitarian boiler house.The church is a basilica-plan Neo-Gothic, structure, faced with limestone. The interior of the church includes altars and communion rails of Italian marble and stained glass windows illustrating scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and the saints.
The rectory and convent are constructed of red brick, and the modest boiler house is located next to the convent. A cemetery containing a variety of monuments spanning from the early 19th century to the present is behind the church. A large statue of Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes is the name used to refer to the Marian apparition said to have appeared before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes, France...
stands on the grounds facing Gratiot.
Near the rear of the cemetery is the grotto. The shrine is constructed from imported limestone. Boulders placed around the shrine (as well as in the cemetery) were carted in by farmers from all parts of Michigan. Some of the stones and many of the limestone pieces are carved with names and dedications. In the front of the Grotto a fountain is inscribed with the words, "Glory to the One Triune God, Now and Forever."
History
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic. Avoiding the city, they traveled north along Gratiot, settling in an area where a handful of French Roman Catholics already lived. The Germans established a small selltement named Connor's Creek and built a log church at the site where this church now stands. They called the building Kirchen Wald (Church in the Woods), and Redemptionist missionaries offered Roman Catholic services in the structure. The name was later changed to "Chapel of the Assumption" and later "St. Mary's in the Woods" before being designated the "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church."
In 1847, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church was designated a parish—only the second in what is now Detroit. In 1852, the first full-time pastor, Father Amandus Vandendriessche, was assigned to the church. He began building a permanent brick structure, which was completed by the end of 1852 and sat 500. In 1876, Vandendriessche visited France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and was so impressed by the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes or the Domain is an area of ground surrounding the shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, France...
that he had a replica of the grotto, designed by Peter Dederichs, created at the church. The grotto was completed in 1881. On April 30, 1882, Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
signed a proclamation granting partial and plenary indulgences for anyone who visited the Grotto and prayed for the propagation of the faith.
As Detroit grew in the early 20th century, so did the parish. When the 1852 church burned, construction began on a third church in 1907. A rectory was added to the complex in 1917 - 1918 and a matching convent building was constructed in the early 1920s. However, the population continued to grow, and to meet the needs of the larger congregation, the current, larger church was built in 1928-1929. It was designed by the Detroit architectural firm of Aloys Frank Herman, and dedicated on September 22, 1929.
The parish today
As a result of the fame of the shrine, the Church of the Assumption began to be known as Assumption Grotto. Mass is held every day, and most days a Tridentine Latin Mass is also held.External links
- Assumption Grotto Catholic Church official website
- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Grotto) Parish from the Archdiocese of Detroit
- Te Deum laudamus! An online photo-journal of Catholic culture and liturgical life at Assumption Grotto in Detroit
- Associate Pastor Rev. Paul Ward's blog