Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church

During the late nineteenth century many Polish immigrants fleeing oppression came to Detroit. In 1886 a group of them organized the school that was the beginning of Sweetest Heart of Mary Parish. On December 8, 1888, the Reverend Dominic H. Kolasinski, former pastor and builder of neighboring St. Albertus Church, became their pastor without episcopal approval. Under his leadership, construction of this late Victorian Gothic church began in July 1890. On February 18, 1894, the parish officially became part of the Diocese of Detroit. The church’s windows, made by the Detroit Glass Works, won prizes at the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition. Its organ is one of the oldest Austin organs in existence. Its 217-foot spires house three large bells named St. Mary, St. Joseph, and St. Barbara.