History of St. Patrick Catholic Church

 

In 1857, a new church situated on the south side of Superior Avenue between First and Second Streets opened its doors to the Catholic population of Wyandotte. The congregation as first was small, a few French families, and a handful of Irish and German. The influx of workmen into Wyandotte in 1954, many of them Catholics, caused the Rev. Charles DePreiter, then in charge of the parish at Ecorse, to establish a mission at Wyandotte and in a short time he removed there and organized St. Charles Church, of which he had charge until 1873.

He was succeeded by Rev. DeBeaver, 1872-1876, Rev. H.W. Grime, 1876-1878, Rev. Hebstrit for one year, Rev. F.H. Broeger, 1880-1883, Rev. T. Roeper, 1883-1886, Rev. George Laugell, 1886-1890. The first church was built about 1854 and was a plain, frame edifice, now used for a parochial school. The closing of the mill rendered it impossible to sustain two churches, and this church and St. Joseph’s were temporarily merged under the charge of one priest until 1884, and at this date the present St. Patrick’s Church began.

Three years after the church was dedicated, Fr. Roeper began the construction of a convent, which housed the Sisters until 1955. Fr. Roeper did not remain in Wyandotte long enough to see the Sister’s home completed. His pastorate at St. Patrick’s was terminated in 1886 and Rev. George Laugell of Newport was appointed pastor.

In 1889 the first rectory was built. The cost of the building was $1700. In 1890 Fr. Laugell left St. Patrick’s and Rev. Francis O’Rourke was appointed pastor. Fr. O’Rourke as succeeded by Rev. James Hally in 1894. He remained with the parish nearly twenty-two years. In 1905 St. Patrick’s had purchased two lots on the south side of Superior at the corner of Second Street. The corner stone of the school was laid in 1906. In 1915, a vestibule was added to the church, giving a gracious note to the formerly rather stark entrance.

In 1916 Fr. Hally delivered the address to St. Patrick’s first high school graduating class. It numbered four: a girl and three boys. Fr. Hally retired because of ill health and Rev. Edwin Fisher was appointed to take his place.

In 1928, Fr. Fisher was succeeded by Rev. P.C. Ryan, who remodeled the rectory. In his second year at St. Patrick, the first pipe organ was installed. Fr. Ryan died in 1944 and Rev. C.A. Doherty was appointed. Fr. Doherty also introduced the public-address system and the parish bulletin, “The Shamrock” into the parish. One of his most known renovations was the new convent built in 1955 at a cost of $225,000. The convent was home to 18 sisters. The convent was just recently torn down in 2015.

St. Patrick Parish merged with St. Joseph Parish and St. Elizabeth Parish in 2010. St. Elizabeth Church closed on July 1, 2013 and the new parish of St. Vincent Pallotti was established. The churches of St. Joseph and St. Patrick remain open as worship sites.  St. Patrick Church recently had some ceiling/roof repairs and should have Masses resume in late fall of 2017 or early 2018.

Fr. Michael Cremin, S.A.C. of the Pallottine Fathers is the current Pastor, along with Assistant Pastor, Fr Brendan McCarrick, S.A.C.