St. Aloysius Stories

Long before becoming the Pastor at St. Aloysius, I first encountered the community while working for a summer youth program called Young Neighbors in Action. Teenagers from around the country came for a weeklong service opportunity in Detroit and St. Aloysius was one of the sites where our group was serving. As the Prayer and Music Coordinator for the week, part of my role was to visit the work sites each day with the other leaders. I remember being moved by the care and compassion that those who were serving in the Canticle Cafe warming center showed to those experiencing homelessness. This, along with the unique architecture of the church building and the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd in mosaic left a lasting impact on me. In the years that followed, I would return to the parish as an occasional substitute musician for Sunday Masses.

Fast forward several years to my days in the seminary. As ordination to the priesthood was on the horizon, like all eager seminarians do, I fantasized about parishes that I could one day serve. I had a heart for the city of Detroit and thought about how awesome it would be to serve one of our historic parishes--especially downtown. While I could dream, it seemed as though many of our parishes in the city--and all of them downtown--were served by religious orders (and I was going to be a diocesan priest). It was dream, I thought, so I left it at that.

In my first four years of priesthood, I had the great blessing of serving at two large suburban parishes. Shortly after Christmas 2018, and just six months into my second assignment, I received a call from the Archbishop's priest secretary, Fr. Jim Grau, informing me that the Archbishop wanted to see me. He assured me I wasn't in trouble and we set a date for the meeting. In the days leading up to the meeting, I racked my brain about what this might be about. Surely, I wasn't being asked to move since I hadn't even completed a year of my assignment. I was wrong.

I arrived at the Archbishop's residence on a cold December morning and was greeted by Fr. Grau. He led me to a side room where I waited for Archbishop Vigneron. When the Archbishop arrived, we exchanged pleasantries and made small talk for a few minutes. Then, he got to the heart of the matter. With great kindness, he informed me that the Franciscan Friars who had served St. Aloysius for 27 years, would be returning the administration of the parish to the care of the Archdiocese. With that, he asked me if I would consider pastoring the parish. This request took me completely by surprise! The Archbishop said that I didn't have to answer him right then and that I could take some time to pray and discern. I smiled, thanked him, and said that I didn't need time to discern because I had been praying for an opportunity like this for some time. The plan was set and would become public in February. Later that day, I left for a pilgrimage to Rome with the choir of St. Hugo of the Hills. After many hours on a plane, we landed, boarded a bus, and set off to our first stop which was the Church of St. Ignatius--the very church where St. Aloysius Gonzaga is entombed! Just hours after receiving the assignment to this wonderful community, it was at our youthful patron's place of rest where I was able to give thanks to God and pray for St. Aloysius' intercession. This series of events amazes me even today.

The past four years have been simply the best! The staff, parishioners, benefactors, and those who come to us in need make every day an adventure, and every day a blessing. There is nowhere else I'd rather be and am so grateful to God for the opportunity to serve. It's true that we all come from different places, different backgrounds, and different walks of life, but it is Jesus in the Holy Eucharist that unites us and makes us a family in every sense of the word.

God answers prayers and fulfills even the dreams that we think are out of reach.