St. Elizabeth Church

In 1884 families of German descent, under the pastorate of Father Anthony Svensson, united to form a new parish. In 1885 they built a temporary church and school at McDougall and Willis, on land donated by Fannie Van Dyke. Detroit architects Donaldson and Meier designed the present red brick Romanesque Revival-style edifice, which was consecrated on February 14, 1892, by Bishop John Foley. The interior of the church contains wooden altar carvings by German craftsman Anthony Osebald. The parish’s role as the center of spiritual growth for many ethnic groups was greatly enhanced with the advent of Vatican II in 1962, which advocated the change from Latin to the language of the people. In the church service the parish family continued to be multicultural with a strong sense of its black heritage.