Years of Faith: The Ethnic Heritage and History of Ten Catholic Parishes of Detroit

Download or read book Years of Faith: The Ethnic Heritage and History of Ten Catholic Parishes of Detroit written by Robert Mowry and published by . This book was released on 2014-10-21 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Documenting the ethnic and architectural history of historically prominent and significant Catholic churches constructed in Detroit for immigrants of various ethnic origins that settled in Detroit during the first half of the twentieth century, Years of Faith is divided into ten chapters, each covering a significant church, with a history of the establishment of each parish and an architectural description, including the year constructed and the architect. Each chapter concludes with the current history and disposition of the parish: some are closed and abandoned, some open with new congregations, two have been demolished. The churches chosen are significant to the industrial heritage of the city of Detroit and the immigrants that settled here looking for a better life. The book also includes an introduction, a foreword describing architectural elements, and an afterword. Robert A. Mowry is a lifelong native of metropolitan Detroit. Taught to appreciate art at an early age by his mother, herself an artist and avid antique collector, and influenced by his father, a construction engineer, he eventually decided to study architecture and urban development in college, and during this time developed a strong interest in European cathedral and church design during the Gothic period, along with researching the construction methods used to construct them. Upon seeing photographs of his Italian grandparents' wedding at old San Francesco, a beautiful church built for Italian immigrants settling in East Detroit and long since demolished, he listened to the many stories they told him about their early life in Depression-era East Detroit, and how important the church was to them and the people of the "old neighborhood." Fascinated by these stories, he set out to find out more information about the old church and its history, and how it was linked to this side of his family. What started out as a hobby to research the old church and ethnic neighborhood of his grandparents led to an interest in finding out more about the architecture and history behind Detroit's other ethnic neighborhoods and churches, which led to daring urban exploration journeys to investigate and photograph these forgotten and underappreciated architectural jewels, and along the way uncovering an incredibly rich background of Catholic history linked to Detroit's past.