Centenial History of Sweetest Heart of Mary Church. 1889-1989 A Century of Service Sweetest Heart of Mary , Detroit, , p. 19-25. CAP at Orchard Lake.

FATHER DOMINIK H. KOLASINSKI FOUNDER AND HERO To celebrate a century of existence and service to God is a truly remarkable event in the of Detroit – worthy of a joyous celebration. The parishioners of Sweetest Heart of Mary are especially deserving of this celebration. They have triumphed over misunderstandings and persecution in the beginning. They built a magnificent church of cathedral proportions with two tall steeples piercing the sky like two hands folded in prayer imploring that this majestic house of God be never erased from the face of the earth. They enjoyed prosperity, growth and peace in its halcyon days. The parish weathered decay and destruction of its neighborhood in its darkest days, and now enjoys a renaissance of growth both in spiritual and physical dimensions. People are returning to nurture a viable, vibrant community in honor of Mary our Mother and our Polish heritage. To understand what historical events and forces molded the formation of this beloved parish, one must know the historical backgrounds of Poland and the United States. In the late eigh- teenth century, Poland ceased to exist geographically in 1795 as Russia, Germany and Austria carved Poland amongst them. Throughout the nineteenth century, the Poles tried two unsuc- cessful insurrections, the first in 1831, the second in 1863. As the result of the 1863 insurrection Russia, Germany and Austria were merciless with their powers. In 1870 German Chancellor Bismarck initiated his kulturkampf (the struggle between the Catholic Church and the German government) which denied Poles their property and forbade the propagation of Polish culture and language. The Russians followed suit and although the Austrians were not as harsh as the Russians and Germans, they purposely kept the Polish province of Galicia as an economic and cultural backwater in order to control their bread basket. Meanwhile the United States enjoyed an industrial revolution in its post civil war years. The country was unified and opened itself to expansion and settlement. Scientific inventions and creativity were in full swing. This in turn, opened new opportunities for disenfranchised Poles seeking a better life and future for themselves and their families. Thus the great Polish migration began in earnest in the 1870’s, 80's and 90's. In Detroit many factories and new construction calling for unskilled labor lured the Poles to settle in this city. The Poles brought with them their language, customs and their Catholic faith. They were met with an unsympathetic and

1 sometimes hostile Anglo-Irish-German American majority that forgot they too were immigrants. The Irish-German Catholic hierarchy did not make great efforts to understand Polish religious customs and traditions and often clashed with Polish immigrants. Since the Poles were arri- ving in great numbers, the demand for Polish priests grew accordingly. Poles, already settled in America, returned to Poland seeking priests to serve the new Polonia (Polish settlements outside of Poland). One priest heeded the call and as a result made a lasting and indelible mark in the early Detroit Polonia — his name was Father Dominik Hipolyt Kolasinski. Father Kolasinski was born on August 3, 1838 in Mielec, Poland in the province of Galicia. His father was Andrzej (Andrew) Kolasinski who was employed as a weaver and his mother was Ag- nieszka (Agnes) Wydro. He was ordained in Krakow on August 14, 1864 by Bishop Anton Galecki when Father Kolasinski was 26 years old. His first assignment was as an assistant at the church in Czernichowo, southwest of Krakow. From there he was transferred to the church in nearby Rybna. Father Kolasinski requested a tem¬porary leave of absence to study philosophy in Vien- na but went to the University of Lwow instead. He became a chaplain and tutor for a wealthy landowner. In 1880 he heard of the call for Polish priests to serve in the American missions. Father Kolasinski received a letter of invitation to come to Detroit by Jozef (Joseph) Przybylowski, a trustee of St. Albertus Parish entrusted to find a replacement for Father Jan (John) Wollowski. He then received on October 21, 1881 a formal letter of invitation from Bishop Casper Henry Borgess, then Bishop of Detroit. Father Kolasinski was granted an exeat from the Krakow dio- cese on January 22, 1882. On March 30, 1882 Father Kolasinski officially became pastor of St. Albertus Church. The parishioners took an immediate liking to their new charismatic pastor. Father Kolasinski was well versed in Polish history and culture and quickly became the Polish spokesman for the community. He possessed great oratorical skills and held his parishioners spellbound. He was also known to vigorously preach against the excesses of alcohol much to the disappointment of some trustees who owned saloons in the Polish neighborhood. Father Kolasinski received permission from Bishop Borgess to build a new St. Albertus church for the rapidly expanding parish which was dedicated on July 4, 1885. During the construction of the church, Father Kolasinski had great difficulties with some of the trustees as to the location and cost. By November, 1885 these difficulties became so rampant in the parish that it came to the attention of Bishop Borgess. The trustees accused Father Kolasinski of financial misman- agement and immoral conduct. Father Kolasinski denied all of these allegations and wanted his accusers to face him and hear his side of the story. Unfortunately, Bishop Borgess sided with the trustees and relieved Father Kolasinski of his duties as pastor of St. Albertus without due process of Canon Law. Father Kolasinski refused to leave the rectory hoping would intercede and settle the matter. The majority of parishioners sided with Father Kolasinski. The others sided with the new pastor, Father Joseph Dabrowski, rector and co-founder of the Polish Seminary on St. Aubin and East Forest Streets. Father Dabrowski served his faction of the parish from the chapel of the Felician Motherhouse located directly across the street from the church. Several riots followed between the two factions. On March 2 20, 1886, Father Kolasinski was forced to vacate the rectory through a court decision obtained by Bishop Borgess and the trustees. On April 5, 1886, Father Kolasinski left Detroit on an exeat forced on him by Bishop Borgess. Consequently, he went to Berea, Ohio near Cleveland where his brother, Father Nicodemus Kolasinski was pastor of St. Adalbert Church. From there he pro- ceeded to the Dakota Territory where he became pastor of St. Stanislaus in Warsaw near Minto, North Dakota on the acceptance of Bishop Martin Marty, the Vicar Apostolate of the Dakota Territory. Father Kolasinski met Bishop Marty previously in Detroit in 1884 at the dedication of the new Capuchin Monastery on Mt. Elliot Street in Detroit. During Father Kolasinski's absence from Detroit, his fol¬lowers formed a parochial group under the leadership of Antoni Dlugi, a friend and confidant of Father Kolasinski. Anton Dlugi also served as a schoolteacher for the children of the Kolasinski faction. Although Dlugi was a lay person, he conducted prayer services from a home on Riopelle Street. In fact, Dlugi was a lay Jesuit brother in Poland two years prior to his arrival in Detroit but disassociated himself from the Jesuits when he was denied admission to study for the priesthood. This group was actually the nucleus of Sweetest Heart of Mary Parish but they were too loosely organized and without a priest to actually be considered a parish. In fact, they considered it a temporary measure until Father Kolasinski would return and be reinstated as pastor of St. Albertus. In the meantime, because of the increased public criticism of the handling of the Kolasinski affair, Bishop Borgess resigned as Bishop of Detroit in April, 1887. He nominated Father Edward Joos as the interim administrator of the diocese until a new bishop was appointed. Father Joos served as an administrator for nineteen months until Bishop John Samuel Foley from was appointed as bishop in November, 1888. News of Bishop Foley's appointment quickly reached Father Kolasinski in the Dakotas and on December 8, 1888 he returned to Detroit for the purpose of meeting with the new bishop in hopes of being reinstated as pastor of St. Albertus. Father Kolasinski did meet with Bishop Foley on December 15th and asked Bishop Foley to reopen his case and grant him a hearing. Bishop Foley's answer was that his case was already settled and that Father Kolasinski would never be reinstated as a priest in the diocese. Bishop Foley thought that he would no longer hear the name of Father Kolasinski again. He was wrong. Father Kolasinski returned to his home at 624 Beaubien Street in which he converted the back rooms into a chapel and began to meet with his trustees to purchase land in order to build a church, independent of the diocese, until there would be a reconciliation with Rome. Father Kolasinski appointed trustee Franciszek (Frank) Potrzuski to buy parcels of land on Canfield and Russell Streets. When the land was purchased, plans and construction of an interim church, school and living quarters were made public. The building would face Canfield Street and be constructed of brick. The ground floor would be the chapel with a seating capacity of 1,000, the upper floors would house four classrooms in the rear and Father Kolasinski's living quarters would be in the front. The cost of the building was $15,000. On February 11, 1889 the articles of incorporation were completed for the formal organization of the new parish of Sweetest Heart of Mary, belovedly known in Polish as Najsłodsze Serce Maryi Panny. 3 The new multipurpose building was ready for dedication and occupancy on June 10, 1889- An elaborate ceremony was staged as a procession of the new parish organizations of St.Lawrence, St. Joseph and Rosary Society left the home on Beaubien Street and came up Canfield Street to the new church. This building soon proved to be too small for the rapidly growing parish so Father Kolasinski and the trustees soon announced plans for a church of cathedral proportions to be built. From the start Father Kolasinski promised his parishioners he would build a church far more magnificent than any church built in the city. The architects of Spiers and Rohns were hired and on July 25, 1890 the papers were signed and the ground breaking began on July 28th. The church would face Russell Street and be composed of pressed and stock brick with Berea stone trim especially in the front of the church. Terracotta ornamentation would be freely administered throughout the exterior. Twin steeples would be at the front adorned with gold crosses rising at a height of 220 feet. The seating capacity would be 2,400. The roof and walls would be supported by two rows of ten inch wrought iron columns covered with plaster making them two feet in diameter. The parishioners willingly and eagerly accepted this project and wholeheartedly supported it. For example, in a time when some wages were less than a $1.00 a week, many families donated twenty five cents per brick to build their church. The parish societies collected pennies, nickels and dimes for the magnificent stained glass windows. With donations pouring in, the construction of the church began to soar as well as the jealousy and anger of the anti-Kolasinskiites. They vowed that the walls of the church would never go up and planned to raid the con¬struction site and tear them down. The alarm quickly spread throughout the parish and the men of the parish took blankets and clubs and slept at the foundation to protect the unfinished church for three nights. Fortunately no altercation took place. Throughout the construction phase of the church, Father Kolasinski was making overtones of reconciliation with the church authorities with no success at this point. By early summer of 1892, the construction of the church was at a point that the cornerstone was ready to be blessed and placed. However, the spot where the cornerstone was to be placed was bricked, much to the horror of the parishioners who wanted the bishop to officiate at the ceremony. Some suggested that Father Kolasinski secretly ordered the cornerstone to be bricked in order to stall the ceremony. However, there is no solid proof of this. Finally, on June 5, 1892 the cornerstone was blessed by a bishop of dubious origin. Father Kolasinski told the parishioners that it was the Bishop of Podolia in Eastern Poland; in fact it was a Władysław Dębski, a priest from Illinois who fell out of favor with the Bishop of Chicago. Although the hiring of the "bishop" was an irregularity on Father Kolasinski's part, he was desperate to keep the momentum going on the construction of the church. Later his parishioners and succeeding generations willingly forgave Father Kolasinski of this matter. In 1893 Father Kolasinski announced that the church would be dedicated on December 24th. As the pews were being installed, the pew rentals were taken so rapidly that hardly any spaces were left. According to Lawrence D. Orton, author of Polish Detroit and the Kolasinski Affair, the pew rentals alone reaped an income of $24,000. At this time, Father Kolasinski, wanting to

4 be reinstated, was in correspondence with Monsignor Francesco Satolli, the newly appointed Apostolic Delegate of North America. Monsignor Satolli was known to resolve differences between priests and local bishops. Father Peter Baart of Marshall, Michigan, a well known canon lawyer who defended priests who were at odds with their bishops, also became an ad- vocate of Father Kolasinski's cause and would later be instrumental in bringing the two parties together to solve the eight year conflict. Father Baart was met with severe and at times very unchristian criticism from fellow priests. Many Polish priests did not want any reconciliation with Father Kolasinski because he would drain both the parishioners and coffers from their own churches due to Father Kolasinski's oratorical skills and charisma. The day of the dedication arrived. It was on a Sunday, December 24, 1893. It was an unusu- ally warm and sunny day with the temperature at 60 degrees. Despite the failure of the gas company to hook the gas lines to the chandeliers of the church and the delay in shipment of the nine foot statue of the Virgin Mary to be placed at the main altar, the dedication was a joyous celebration. The parish societies lined up around the church and patiently waited for Father Kolasinski and his entourage to emerge from the old church amidst jeers from the anti-Kolasinski faction. At 10:20 A.M. Father Kolasinski, several priests and a bishop emerged from the old church. At this point the parishioners didn't care where the bishop came from as long as they had a ceremony for the church blessing. This bishop was Joseph René Vilatte, who was born in Paris, consecrated as a member of the Old Catholic Church by a Jacobite Bishop in Ceylon in 1892. Villate professed the Old Catholic Syriac rite, which was not In conformance with the Bishop of Detroit. Thousands of parishioners jammed the church for the ceremony. This meant that they would have their first Pasterka (Midnight Mass of the Shepherd) in their own church for the first time in nine years. With thousands of followers and in possession of the largest and most magnifi¬cent church in Detroit, the church authorities were faced with the fact that overtures and recon¬ciliation had to take place soon. Throughout January of 1894, preparations for reconciliation were being worked out. Monsignor Satolli sent his personal representative Monsignor Donato Sbaretti, to negotiate a settlement. The first meeting took place on February 6, 1894 at the invitation of Father John F. Friedland at his rectory at St. Joseph's Church on Gratiot and Jay Avenues. Monsignor Satolli's condition for reconciliatiion as conveyed by Monsignor Sbaretti was that Father Kolasinski must close the church and do penance. This Father Kolasinski refused to do because he would not be put to shame in front of his people. Another obstacle in the way was that Father Kolasinski returned to Detroit in 1888 and carried out his priestly duties in defiance of Bishop Foley. Father Kolasinski argued that Bishop Marty of the Dakotas did not grant him an ineat into the Dakota Diocese thus making him under ecclesiastical law, subject of the Detroit Diocese. A second meeting on February 7th brought the two sides closer together toward understand- ing. On February 10, 1894, a final offer was presented to Father Kolasinski from Monsignor Sbaretti. The church would not be closed and Father Kolasinski's penance would be for only one week at a monastery in Chicago. Father Kolasinski would have to read an apology from the pulpit to his congregation in Polish, German and English. Father Kolasinski accepted the 5 terms. It was known that Bishop Foley did not like the idea of reconciliation with Father Kola- sinski and his congregation, but he did not want to anger the powerful Vatican representative. In the meantime, the new Austin Opus II pipe organ was installed and a concert was held on February 4th by Organist Theodore G. Beach from St. John's Church as guest organist. News- paper accounts tell of streetcars from all parts of the city being taxed to the limit with people going to the church. The Poles of other parishes did not attend but this did not dampen the success of the concert. It was reported that after the concert Father Kolasinski and his parish- ioners took turns reverently touching the new instrument. On February 18th, the day of the reconciliation, an esti¬mated 10,000 people were around the church well before the 10:00 A.M ceremony. The church was filled to over-flowing. The first part of the ceremony was the rededication and blessing of the church by Monsignor Sbaretti. This was done quickly and with the assistance of Father Kolasinski. The second part was the Mass said by Monsignor Sbaretti. He was assisted by Father Witold Buhaczkowski, vice rector of the Polish Seminary, as deacon; Father Zygmunt Kolkiewicz, assistant pastor of St. Casimir, as subdeacon; and Father Charles Hutter of St. Joseph's Church as the master of ceremonies. People fainted in the pews and crowds from the outside rushed to get into the church only to be pushed out. Then came the dramatic time for Father Kolasinski to ascend the pulpit. When he reached the pulpit, silence fell. Father Kolasinski gave an eloquent sermon about the transfiguration of Christ which could be easily translated into his transfiguration as well. His voice crescendoed and then fell to a whisper as he held the congregation spellbound. When he finished his ser- mon, he unfolded some documents and began to recite his apology barely above a whisper. He read it in this whispered tone in Polish, English and German. Although Monsignor Sbaretti called forth a couple of times in Latin for Father Kolasinski to raise his voice, Father Kolasinski paid no attention. When he finished, he recited the Profession of Faith for Converts in Polish in a slightly louder tone and when finished slowly and dramatically descended from the pulpit and went to the main altar. There, Father Hutter told Father Kolasinski to kneel and recite the Profession of Faith in En- glish. Father Kolasinski refused, saying that he said it in Polish and that Father Buhaczkowski heard him. When Monsignor Sbaretti asked him to repeat it, Father Kolasinski angrily refused saying it was unnecessary and defiantly walked away. Monsignor Sbaretti accepted this and concluded the Mass. Afterward, Father Kolasinski went to Bishop Foley's residence and knelt before him in obedience and invited Bishop Foley to say Mass at Sweetest Heart of Mary so that the parishioners would fully understand and enjoy the reconciliation. Bishop Foley did not give an exact date and Father Kolasinski returned at peace with himself to his rectory. At this time Father Kolasinski was found not guilty of financial mismanagement and immorality during his pastorate at St. Albertus. This was echoed by Father Kolasinski's lawyer Felix Lem- kie and seconded by Colonel John Atkinson, a lawyer for former Bishop Borgess. Now Father Kolasinski could enjoy his reconciliation status but would soon be burdened by financial dif- ficulties in his parish. 6 As was customary in the American Catholic Church by a decree in 1820, all church properties and titles were to be in the name of the local bishop. The parishioners were ready to do this but Bishop Foley would not take title until the debts were paid off. This the parishioners were doing until a depression hit the country in (1896-1897), causing many men either to lose their jobs or suffer a substantial cut in their wages. The parish was unable to pay their debt so the parish trustees had to be in default of the payment of interest due. The American Savings Bank, holding the mortgage, demanded immediate payment. The parish could not meet the payment so the bank took the parish for a settlement. Unfortunately, the verdict was in favor of the bank and the church property was sold in auction on May 4, 1897 to the bank attorney, Mr. McGravie, for $30,000. This was a grave injustice to the parishioners because the cost of building the church was $124,000 but the value at the time of the auction was $200,000. Fearing violence and respecting the intense feeling of the parishioners, rental agreements were proposed so the church would be temporarily open. However, the parish hired a young lawyer by the name of McCollin to fight the case. He peti- tioned the court for a second auction. The judge accepted and the auction was scheduled for June 3, 1897. McCollin advised Father Kolasinski and the trustees to secure a loan from the Bank of England's branch in Montreal, Canada. The bank would advance the loan if enough collateral was collected. The trustees as a result went from door to door pleading with the parishioners to second mortgage their homes in order to come up with the collateral. This was done with great enthusiasm. As a result, the required amount was collected in record time. The Bank of England immediately advanced the loan under the trusteeship of Mr. Klucznik and Mr. Wawrzynski of the parish. Father Kolasinski and the trustees did not wait for the auction date and immediately approached McGravie and settled for $45,000. Finally, the parishioners had their beloved church back in their very own possession. At this time Father Kolasinski made peace with his rival Father Joseph Dabrowski and the faculty of the Polish Seminary by graciously sponsoring a banquet in their honor at the Rich- ter Hotel. At the same time, Father Kolasinski petitioned for an assistant and Father Joseph Felix Folta, recently ordained at the Polish Seminary, was assigned to him. Soon afterward, the troubles of the last few years took their toll on Father Kolasinski's health. He was known to have heart failure coupled with choking seizures. On Monday, April 4, 1898, his condition deteriorated and his personal physician, Dr. Gustav Nicolai, was summoned to his residence. Father Kolasinski's condition improved the next day. His difficulty in breathing eased. On Good Friday, he suffered a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body. Father Kolasinski was often unconscious. The parishioners became so alarmed at his condition that they invaded the sick room shouting "gift" (poison) in German. To prove that poison was not being given to Father Kolasinski, Dr. Nicolai took the medicine himself, but in the state the people were in there was still disbelief. After Dr. Nicolai notified Bishop Foley of the unrest of the people, Bishop Foley arrived at the rectory and urged the parishioners to stand back so the doctor could administer to Father Kolasinski. During the time of his consciousness, Father Kolasinski recognized Bishop Foley, took the Bishop's hand and kissed his episcopal ring in reverence. During the Easter Sunday Resurrections Mass, as the parishioners marched in procession around the perimeter 7 of the church, Father Kolasinski was brought to the window and weakly smiled and waved to his flock. On Easter Monday morning, Father Kolasinski become comatose and at seven thirty in the morning passed away. Hundreds of parishioners gathered outside and upon hearing the news began to cry and wail uncontrollably. The Church was draped in black crepe and evergreens for the funeral. On Monday evening, Father Kolasinski was laid out in the old chapel, the building facing Canfield Street. On Tuesday the remains were taken in an elaborate ceremony from the school to the church while children holding candles lined the procession route. The pallbearer’s were the members of the Kosciuszko Guard of the parish. Preceding the casket were six priests led by Father Dabrowski. On Wednesday, April 13th, the Requiem Mass was celebrated. The church was packed an hour before the mass with an es- timated 35,000 people pouring out of the church into the surrounding area. Father Romuald Byzewski, pastor and founder of St. Francis D'Assisi Church, delivered the eulogy. His eulogy so stirred the mourning parishioners that curious onlookers were moved to tears. Bishop Foley said a few words in English. Two hundred fifty carriages and 20,000 people followed the funeral procession to Greenwood Cemetery (the name of the parish cemeter at that time). A graveside eulogy was performed by Father Kolasinski's brother, Father Nicodemus Kolasinski. Eight months later, the parishioners not content with Father Kolasinski's resting place collected $2,000 to erect a mausoleum for their beloved shepherd. In a short time the mausoleum was completed and Father Kolasinski was reinterred with great dignity. So ended an era never to be forgotten. FATHER R. BYZEWSKI - BRIEF INTERLUDE FATHER J. FOLTA-THE FLOWERING OF POLONIA'S BLOSSOM The decision to find a replacement for the late Father Dominik Kolasinski was a difficult one. Many of the Polish priests did not associate with Father Kolasinski which made the selection difficult. The parishioners and the trustees felt that Father Romuald Byzewski, pastor and found- er of St. Francis D'Assisi on Wesson and Buchanan Streets on the west side would be the best choice. The parishioners petitioned Bishop Foley to assign Father Byzewski as pastor. Bishop Foley appointed Father Byzewski as pastor on May 11, 1898. Father Byzewski did not want the position because of the size of the parish, the debts to be paid and his poor health. However, Bishop Foley was firm in his decision. Father Byzewski was born in Karwen, West Prussia on October 2, 1812. He was ordained a priest in Liege, Belgium in 1866. Father Byzewski's education had the German influence rather than the Polish. He was of the Franciscan order but under Bismarck's Kulturkampf Program. He was secularized and immigrated to the United States in 1875. He first lived in Winona, Minnesota for 15 years. In 1890, he founded St. Francis D'Assisi Parish before being assigned to Sweetest Heart of Mary. At first Father Byzewski enjoyed immense popularity with his parishioners. But it soon became apparent that tension was building up between the pastor and the congregation. Although Fa-

8 ther Byzewski possessed great oratorical skills, his command of the Polish language was limited because of his Germanization. He often preached in German to the parishioners, who were from the Russian partition. Those from the Austrian sector were incensed at hearing the German lan- guage spoken in a Polish church. The parishioners increasingly became more attached to Father Joseph Folta, the assistant and the first priest son of the parish assigned to Father Kolasinski just prior to his death. Father Folta remained under Father Byzewski. Realizing that his stay would further divide the parish, he petitioned Bishop Foley to relieve him of his pastoral duties. Also due to increasing illness, Father Byzewski wanted to reenter the Franciscan monastery at Pulaski, Wisconsin. On July 16, 1899, Father Byzewski with permission from Bishop Foley resigned as pastor of Sweetest Heart of Mary Parish. One week later, Bishop Foley assigned Father Folta as pastor. Father Folta was born in 1869 in Sanok in southeastern Poland. He studied at the Polish Seminary in Detroit and was ordained in 1898. His first assignment was at Sweetest Heart of Mary. When Father Folta took the reigns of the parish he was only 30 years old. Unlike Father Byzewski, Father Folta was very fluent in Polish and English. He was known for his oratorical and administrative skills. Newspapers of the day hailed him as a "Second Kolasinski" but he soon proved that he was different. Unlike Father Kolasinski, Father Folta did not like the limelight of the press and politely avoided it at all cost. He realized that the American press often ridiculed the Poles. Father Folta was mainly interested in improving the parish grounds. He is also credited for the additions and improvements of the parish buildings — most of which still survive today. In 1899, a winter gale swept the city and the north tower that housed the church bells was twisted and damaged. The city threatened condemnation but Father Folta assured the press that repairs would commence on December 15th. Instead of the tower being straightened, it was shored up in the twisted condition. Mr. Rohns of Spier and Rohns came to Father Folta's defense and belittled the over action of the press to this incident. The turn of the century saw the fruition of Father Folta's efforts. In 1901 a new rectory was built at the cost of $8,500. He later enlarged the school in two phases — the first costing $8,000 and the second $43,000. In 1910 Father Folta with the trustees of the parish erected the present stone and iron fence. It was an improvement over the old white picket fence. The indigo blue ceiling adorned with gold stars was replaced with an elaborate and exquisite gold leaf canvas design depicting Christ, the Virgin Mary, angels, medallions of saints, and religious symbols. The chandeliers and the dome lights were installed. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Sweetest Heart of Mary was and is a most magnificent church nestled on pristine parish grounds. In 1919 partly due to his hard labors, Father Folta resigned and was succeeded by Father Joseph Casimir Plagens. The parish was about to begin its golden age. BISHOP JOSEPH PLAGENS - THE GOLDEN AGE Father Joseph Plagens was born in Czeszewo. Poland on January 29. 1880. He emigrated with his family to America when he was four years old and attended St. Casimir's School. He then went to the Jesuit University (University of Detroit). He studied for the priesthood and graduated from St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, . He was ordained on July 5, 1903. Bishop Foley 9 assigned him to Sweetest Heart of Mary. From there he was transferred to St.Michael's Parish in Port Austin, Michigan where he was made pastor. From there he was assigned to St. Florian's Parish in Hamtramck where he was instrumental in the construction of the parish grounds. He was again reassigned to Sweetest Heart of Mary and once again served as an assistant to Father Folta. When Father Folta resigned in 1919, Father Plagens was made administrator and soon after was made pastor. Father Plagens was known for further improving the appearance of the parish plant. His works were soon noticed by the local hierarchy and on Tuesday, June 12, 1923, Father Plagens was elevated to Monsignor by Bishop Gallagher. A year later, on Sep- tember 30, 1924 he was elevated to Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit. This made him the third bishop of Polish descent in the country. Soon after he became bishop, the sanctuary was widened to accommodate the new episcopal duties of a bishop. This was a great honor to the parishioners, for their church became a procathedral for the Detroit Polonia. Soon afterwards, many famous personages known in the Polish community were honored at Sweetest Heart of Mary Church such as General Jozef Haller, a well known Polish interwar general who successfully defeated the Soviets in 1920. In 1924 Auxiliary Bishop Plagens had the convent built. This was a well deserved reward for the nuns who so diligently educated the children of the parish, besides maintaining the altars and supervising the altar boys. This was the golden age where many societies flourished. During the pastor ship of Bishop Plagens many Polonia's religious events were held at Sweetest Heart of Mary Church. As an example, the Mass for the National Convention of Americans of Polish descent was held at Sweetest Heart of Mary. It was the largest convention ever held for that organization. In 1935 the Memorial Mass for Jozef Pilsudski was held at Sweetest Heart of Mary. In 1936 Bishop Plagens was elevated to Bishop of Marquette in the Upper Peninsula to replace Bishop Paul J. Neussbaum who died the previous June. His last mass at Sweetest Heart of Mary Church was celebrated on January 26, 1936. More than 2,500 were in attendance. The parish- ioners bid him farewell at a banquet in his honor. MONSIGNOR MICHAEL J. GRUPA THE MIDPOINT OF THE PARISH Since Bishop Plagens was well loved by the parishioners, the parishioners were saddened at his departure. The task of finding his successor would be difficult. However, in March, 1936 Bishop Gallagher appointed Monsignor Michael J. Grupa as the pastor. He was the former rector of St. Mary's College at the Polish Seminary at Orchard Lake. Prior to his arrival he served as pastor of neighboring St. Stanislaus Parish. Monsignor Grupa was best known for his oratorical skills and held many a parishioner spellbound during his sermons. Many parishioners fondly remember him as the pastor who swept the sidewalks and the curbs in front of the rectory on Sundays in full monsignor garb as his parishioners paraded into the church for services. During his pastorate, the fiftieth anniversary of the parish was held. An elaborate mass was held in the presence of three bishops namely: Cardinal Edward Mooney, Archbishop of Detroit; Bishop Joseph Plagens, Bishop of Marquette (former pastor) and Bishop Stephen Woznicki, Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit. About 3,000 people attended the mass joined by all the societies 10 of the church. During the mass, Cardinal Mooney congratulated the parish and praised the outstanding loyalty of its parishioners. A banquet and a dance were scheduled at the parish school hall later that evening. Monsignor Grupa replaced the lower part of the main altar with marble. The crucifix of marble was also installed. Monsignor Grupa remained as pastor until 1949 at which time he was appointed pastor of St. Louis the King Church. He was succeeded by Father Adam Koprowski. FATHER ADAM KOPROWSKI FATHER BOGUSLAW POZNANSKI YEARS OF DECLINING MEMBERSHIP When Father Koprowski took the reigns at Sweetest Heart of Mary in 1949, he was not a stranger to the parishioners. He served as a former assistant under the pastorate of Bishop Plagens. He faced many challenges of a changing neighborhood and the decline of parishioners and school children. At this time people were moving to the suburbs. He spent much time visiting old pa- rishioners who moved out hoping to renew their loyalty to the parish. His pastor ship ended in an auto accident on August 9, 1959 which resulted in his death. A month later, on September 9, 1959 Father Boguslaw Poznanski became seventh pastor of the parish. During World War II he served as a Navy Chaplain. He was then assigned to St. Parish and from there he served as chaplain at Holy Cross Hospital for one year in 1958. He then was assigned to Sweetest Heart of Mary. In I960 amidst great controversy, the title of the parish property was passed into the hands of the Archdiocese of Detroit by a slight majority vote. As a result the lay Board of Trustees was dissolved. In 1965 the parish celebrated its 75th anniversary. The high school closed in 1966 and the ele- mentary school closed a few years later due to the rapidly declining membership. The racial unrest in 1967, hastened the decline of the school enrollments. The church showed signs of decay, so Father Poznanski with several parishioners spearheaded the idea of a restoration fund for purposes of restoring the church to its former grandeur. The first officers were Harry Majka, Delphine Remisiewicz Kowalske, Sister Grace Briskey and Joseph Elias. In 1976 due to stress and ill health, Father Poznanski died in June. FATHER BOHDAN KOSICKI BEGINNING OF THE RENAISSANCE Finding the church in need of great repair, Father Kosicki attended to functional repairs such as roofing, heating and plumbing. Father Bohdan Kosicki was born in 1925 in Detroit. He was baptized at St. Stanislaus Church. He attended St. Theresa's School and graduated from its high school. He continued his education at Sacred Heart Seminary and S.S. Cyril and Methodius Seminary at Orchard Lake. On May 20, 1950 he was ordained. Father Kosicki served in many Detroit par- ishes before he was assigned to Sweetest Heart of Mary. Among them were, Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Our Lady Queen of Apostles and St. Albertus. He also served at St. Francis Hospital in conjunction with assisting at St. Florian Church on weekends. 11 For ten years Father Kosicki was Associate Delegate for the Religious. In 1976 Cardinal Dearden appointed him as the pastor of Sweetest Heart of Mary. Cardinal Dearden stated to Father Kosicki that he did not know what to do with the parish but trusted Father Kosicki to advise him as to what should be done. The reasonings for this were (1) About 120 people totally attended the three weekend Masses,(2) The collection was about $300, (3) The buildings were in terrible disrepair. He was installed formally at 11 A.M. Mass on Sunday, October 10, 1976. Father Thomas Bresnak, Vicar officiated. Slowly but surely, the collections and attendance increased. The primary needs of the rectory, church and former convent now renamed St. Joseph's Hall were met. (Plumbing, heating and roofing). A small hall was made available at St. Joseph's Hall. Father Kosicki also worked closely with the Forest Park District Council. He installed a public address system in church, had a historical plaque installed in front of the church, demolished the back part of the school leaving a space for parking of cars. The bulletins were mailed out thereby making contact with the community in the suburbs. Father Kosicki interviewed many old timers and infused the historical information received during the interviews into the bulletin for the sake of posterity. On June 1, 1981 Father Kosicki was assigned as pastor of St. Ladislaus and a year later on August 24, 1982 was assigned in St. Clair Shores to St. Lucy Parish where he is presently the pastor. FATHER ALFONS M. GORECKI CONTINUING THE RENAISSANCE THE CENTENNIAL PASTOR Father Alfons M. Gorecki was assigned as pastor to Sweetest Heart of Mary Church in June of 1981. He was officially installed on August 16, 1981 by Bishop . He was born in Bydgoszcz, Poland on August 1, 1933- His parents, Maksymillian Gorecki and Wanda (Ciechanowski) Gorecki are both deceased. He attended elementary school in Bydgo- szcz, high school in Poznan and the university and seminary in Poznan. On May 23, 1959, he was ordained at the Cathedral in Poznan. From 1959-August 9, 1968 he held assignments in Szczecin, Golczewo, Goleniow and Stargard Szczecinski. In 1968, he came to the United States and was assigned to St. Bartholomew Parish in Detroit until 1978. From 1978 to May 31, 1981 he was assigned to St. Andrew's Parish in Detroit. He is presently assigned to Sweetest Heart of Mary Church in Detroit. During his pastor ship much was accomplished in painting the interior of the church, restoring and painting all the altars and statues, replacing all the electrical wiring, restoring the cande- labra and restoring the sanctuary light. The organ was restored, the roof maintained, the murals restored and the furnace replaced. All this was done under his leadership, financial support from the parishioners, benefactors and the Sweetest Heart of Mary Restoration Fund. 12 Organizations are flourishing and the choir has grown in membership. He celebrated his twenty fifth anniversaries as a priest in June of 1984 at Sweetest Heart of Mary. The parish was honored by the archdiocese in September of 1985 when it was chosen with its choir to host the Mass celebrated by Joseph Cardinal Glemp, Prime of Poland. The Mass was attended by Edmund Cardinal Szoka, present Archbishop of Detroit, Polish-American Bishops, Bishops from Poland, many priests and over 3,000 people. He has moved us through a most difficult time from 1988 to the present as we were designated by the Detroit Archdiocese, at first, to become a shrine and are now given a year's reprieve to prove viability. All efforts are being made under his guidance to lead us through into staying open as a parish. The financial budget is sound, the registrants have swelled from about 350 to 720 households and a conscientious effort full of prayer and hard work is being made in all other aspects falling under the points of viability. All dates and references found in the Father Kolasinski chapter were taken from various newspa- per articles and from the book The Kolasinski Story by Eduard Adam Skendzel, Littleshield Press, 1979 and Polish Detroit and The Kolasinski Affair by Lawrence D. Orton, Wayne State University Press, 1981.

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