Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Seasons of Grace

Home
Catholic
St. Al’s: Music, Architecture and Service Lead Detroiters to God

St. Al’s: Music, Architecture and Service Lead Detroiters to God

Last updated on: July 11, 2015 at 12:49 pm by Kathy Schiffer

St. Al’s: Music, Architecture and Service Lead Detroiters to God 2015-07-11T12:49:35-05:00 Kathy Schiffer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I worked in downtown Detroit many years ago, and one of my pleasant discoveries as I wandered the streets during my lunch hour was the unique and vibrant liturgy at St. Aloysius Catholic Church.

St. Aloysius is located on Washington Boulevard, pressed into the space between the historic Book Cadillac Hotel and the Chancery offices. Modeled after the great Duomo in Milan with its lower-level crypt chapel, St. Al’s was the only church I’d seen with both an upper and lower church. On one visit, I found that two masses were proceeding concurrently at its upper and lower altars.

St. Al’s—always beloved by the people of Detroit for its message of welcome and its missionary spirit—has been thrust into the news recently with at least three compelling stories:

St. Al’s Community Center, located across the street from the church, was located in a decaying building which cost more than $200,000 annually for utilities and maintenance. The Archdiocese of Detroit sold the building to a private firm which now owns the entire side of the street. At this point, the Archdiocese has been unable to locate new space for the center; the new owner has boarded up the building, and it remains to be seen whether it will be demolished.
Franciscan Brother Al Mascia, one of the brothers who operated the Canticle Café in St. Al’s Community Center, has made the best of the situation. He continues to serve the poor and homeless with an innovative tricycle vendor cart—pedaling to the outdoor waiting area of the Rosa Parks Transit Center to deliver free hot drinks, sandwiches and fruit to the poor, the elderly and the disenfranchised in the neighborhood three days each week.
And now, music minister Aaron Kaleniecki—who serves at both St. Aloysius and St. Patrick parishes in downtown Detroit—has composed a new score for the new Roman Missal. Called the “Mass for the Motor City,” Kaleniecki’s composition includes the Gloria, Sanctus, Amen, and Lamb of God, as well as the Memorial Acclamation for Years A, B and C.

The parish website offers a historical perspective, including a photo tour of the beautiful upper and lower church. Here are just a few photos from that collection.

The main portal features a majestic figure representing God the Father, adorned with a six-pointed “Creator’s Star.” The double triangle, used extensively in Christian art, symbolizes the Creation. The inscription, drawn from the Book of Genesis, reads “In Principio Creavit Deus Caelum Et Terram.” – “In the Beginning, God Created Heaven and Earth.” The great Rose Window with its radiant colors, just above the great main bronze doors, draws the eye upward. A small circle in the center of the window represents the Lamb of God, resting on the closed Book of the Seven Seals. Radiating rays of the sun fall from the volume. St. Aloysius incorporates 26 different types of marble in its construction. Because of its unique “well” construction, worshippers on all three levels of the church can see the Mass being celebrated at the main altar. The curved walkway with its brass railings permitted the priest to safely distribute communion. The faithful knelt along the single marble step. In the Pre-Vatican II days, Masses would often be said concurrently at the upper and lower altars.

Check out the St. Aloysius website for additional photos and history.

Each summer, St. Al’s hosts a Block Party for their downtown Detroit neighborhood. The parish has become known as “Everybody’s Church”—and you can see why! Listen to the soulful strains of St. Al’s choir while enjoying scenes from the 2011 Block Party.

Mass of the Motor City

St. Al's

Previous Post

November 30, 2011

Oh, Please-- Tell Me It Ain't "Bo"

Next Post

December 4, 2011 The Spirit of Christmas Lives On at Greenfield Village

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #Synod14 Abortion Abstinence Abuse Addiction Adoption Advent Adventure Advertising Aging Agnosticism All Saints Day All Souls Day Amish Anathema Angels Anglican Animals Annulment Annunciation Apocalypse Apologetics Apostles Apostleship of the Sea Apparitions Archangels Archbishop Cordileone Archbishop Dolan Archbishop Vigneron Archeology Architecture Art Art Buchwald Ash Wednesday Assisted Suicide Astronauts Atheism Athletes Babies Baptism Beatification Beauty Bible Biochemistry Bioethics Birds Bishop Lori Bishops Blasphemy Books Canon Law Canonization Capital Punishment Cardinal Burke Cardinal Dolan Cardinal George Caritas Catechesis Catechism of the Catholic Church Catholic Catholic Education Catholic Higher Education Catholic Social Teaching Celibacy Cemeteries Character Charity Chastity Cheapskate Christian Unity Christmas Churches Civil Rights Cloning Comedy Communion of Saints Community Kitchens Confession Confirmation Conscience Consequences Consistory Constitution Contraception Conversion Cooking Councils of the Church Creativity Criminal Justice Cristero War Crucifixion Crystal Cathedral Culture Death Death and Dying Death Penalty Department of Health and Human Services Diaconate Dictatorship of Relativism Dignity Disability Discrimination Dissidence Divorce Doctors of the Church Early Church Fathers Easter Economics Ecumenism Education Encyclicals Environmentalism Episcopal Church Eucharist Euthanasia Evangelism Evangelists Evangelization Evolution Excuses Facebook Faith Families Family Fashion Fasting Fatherhood Federal Government Feminism Fiction Film First Amendment First Communion For Greater Glory Forgiveness Free Speech Friends Friendship Gender Discrimination Germany Gnosticism Good Friday Government Grace Greed Gregorian Calendar Happiness Health Heaven Heresy History Holidays Holiness Hollywood Holy Land Holy Saturday Holy Spirit Holy Week Holy Year Home Sweet Home Homosexuality Hope Humanism Humility Humor Imagination Immaculate Conception Immigration Impulsivity In Vitro Fertilization Incarnation Indulgences Infallibility Internet Islam Italy Jerusalem Jesus Judaism Justice Kathleen Sebelius Labor Movement LCWR Lent Life Literature Liturgy Lourdes Love Magi Marketing Marriage Martyrdom Martyrs Mary Mass Media Medical Ethics Mexico Michigan Miracles Missionaries Modernism Modesty Monks Monothelitism Motherhood Movies Mushrooms Music Muslim Mystery Mysticism Mythology Nativity Natural Law Nature New Evangelization New Media New Year New Year's Resolutions Nostalgia Obscenity Occult Old Testament Origen Orthodox Orvieto Pallium Papacy Parenting Patience Patriarch Bartholomew Patriotism Peace Peace and Justice Penitence Pentecost People Persecution Philosophy Poetry Political activism Political Correctness Politics Polls Pop Culture Pope Benedict XVI Pope Francis Pope John Paul II Pope John XXIII Pope Paul VI Pope St. Pius X Pope Urban VII Population Prayer Preaching Prejudice Pride Priesthood Pro-Life Protestantism Psychology Purgatory Queenship of Mary Racism Rape Real Presence Reconciliation Reformation Relics Religious Religious Liberty Reliquary Renewal Reproductive Technology Resurrection Rights Romance Rome Royalty Sacraments Sacred Heart Saints Satanism Science Science Fiction Scripture Seal of Confession Secularism Seniors September 11 Seventy Times Seven Sexuality Sharks Sin Smoking Social Communications Social Justice Social Networking Social Sciences Space Exploration Spirituality Sports St. Luke St. Patrick's Day St. Paul St. Peter St. Teresa of Avila Stations of the Cross Steve Jobs Superstition Supreme Court Symbolism Synod Technology Teen Rebellion Television Terrorism Thankfulness Thanksgiving Theology Think This, Not That Tobit Toilets Toys Tradition Traditions Transplants Travel Trinity Twitter U.S. Air Force Uncategorized United Nations USCCB Valentine Vatican Vatican Archives Vatican Blogfest Virtue Vocations Where We Pray White Heart Women World Day of Social Communications World Meeting of Families World News World Youth Day Worship Writing Year of Consecrated Life Year of Faith Year of Mercy Youth

Select a Month December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land. Seek righteousness, seek what else?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Justice Humility Mercy Peace