WWW.BISHOPGALLAGHER.ORG is the web address for The Detroit Catholic School Heritage Project.
The mission of this site and this project is to preserve the rich history, tradition and heritage of the Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Detroit, past and present. This site is not sponsored by any organization. It is motivated by a desire to remember and to celebrate all that has preceded us, before it is lost forever. It is also an attempt to remind us of the values of a Catholic education, and the bonds Catholic education has forged among the people of Southeast Michigan.
Those interested in the project and/or providing content can contact Mike Butler at: detroitheritage@yahoo.com
BISHOP MICHAEL J. GALLAGHER COMMITTEE
Michael J. Butler—Our Lady of Loretto, Detroit Catholic Central
Timothy A. Dinan—University of Detroit High School
Cathleen C. Jansen-Dearborn Divine Child
Alexis G. Krot—Sacred Heart Academy, Loyola University (New Orleans, La.), University of Detroit-Mercy
Joseph P. McGill—Shrine, University of Detroit-Mercy
Hon. Mark J. Plawecki--Our Lady Gate of Heaven, St. Sabina, Detroit Catholic Central, Dearborn Divine Child
Thomas J. Pozniak-Transfiguration,Detroit Catholic Central
Jack Rajkovich-St. Scholastica, Detroit Catholic Central
Thomas M. Rashid--St. Alphonsus, Riverview Gabriel Richard, Former Director Detroit Catholic League MHSAA
Mary Catherine Rentz—St. Clare of Montefalco, University of Detroit High School
Michael J. Riordan—Our Lady Gate of Heaven (Detroit), Bishop Borgess
Francis M. Turk--St. Gregory, Our Lady of Loretto, St. Mary of Redford, Oakland Catholic High School, Bishop Gallagher, Bishop Foley, DeLaSalle, Ladywood
William J. Vincent—Our Lady of Loretto, Detroit Catholic Central
THE COLLAGE
THE ORDER OF ST. BEDE
In Recognition of Service to Catholic Education in Metropolitan Detroit and to the Preservation of its History and Heritage
St. Gregory School Alumni The St. Gregory Alumni Association was founded in 1988 by fellow students Donna (Belfiore) Schwartz and Ward Case, from the Class of 1963.
Great site, great newsletter. Go, Cherokees!
ST. IVO OF KERMARTIN-PATRON SAINT OF LAWYERS
Born to a wealthy Breton noble family. From age 14 he studied civil and canon lawyer, philosophy, and theology in Paris and Orleans. Franciscan tertiary. Lawyer who practised in both civil and ecclesiastical courts, often defending the poor without charge, and ministering to them in prison while they awaited trial. Practised great personal ascetism, with frequent fasts, and wearing a hair shirt under his clothing. Fought the state over taxes and the rights of the Church. Incorruptible diocesan judge, refusing the bribes that were the order of the day, and working to settle claims out of court in order to save the litigants time and money. Noted preacher and arbitor, he built a hospital from his own funds, tended the poor in it, and gave away the harvests from his land to feed them.
SANCTUS IVO ERAT BRITO, ADVOCATUS ET NON LATRO, RES MIRANDA POPULO. (ST. IVO CAME FROM THE LAND OF BEEF, A LAWYER, HE, BUT NOT A THIEF; A STRETCH ON POPULAR BELIEF.)
Two videos by "Brotha I. M. Broke" from YouTube show the inside of Detroit St. Anthony/East Catholic High School in September, 2011. The building was demolished last week. The school closed, not in the '80s, as Brotha thinks, but in 2004. Interestingly, though, he indicates that the building had been boarded up secure only a few months before the video was taken. Not so in September, 2011. The place is wide open, stripped of virtually every saleable material. The gym floor, and the auditorium are heart-breaking to behold.
I admire Brotha for his courage, entering such places. I admire his effort to document the fate of such structures. Nice background music as well, though the dominant sound is that of broken glass crunching under Brotha's shoes.
Ironic, the final image in Part 2 is a close-up of a banner in the gym. It is from the Detroit Catholic High School League. It reads, "More Than Good Sports-Good People." The good people, and what they built, are but distant memories now.
St. Margaret Mary church is located at 5075 Lemay. It is between Shoemaker and East Warren. The school was built in 1923 and closed in 1970. The parish closed in 1982. The photo below from the inside of Margaret Mary was part of the 2010 Time Magazine photo essay, The Ruins of Detroit.
For those interested in the history an heritage of Catholic education in Detroit, and with the Catholic Alumni Lawyer Heritage Dinner coming up on Tuesday, November 15 (it's not too late to attend, see link), I have attached below a list of Detroit area Catholic High Schools have been closed over the years, with the year of the school's closing. A long and depressing list to be sure, but not comprehensive.
Tom Calcatera, a lawyer whose office is right next to mine attended St. David High School in Detroit (Go, Aviators!) until it closed after his Junior year. He finished at Bishop Gallagher High, also closed. St. David did not make the list.
A link to a more readable list of the closed, and opened high schools can be found here.
I recently received an email from Judge David Allen, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge, and Bishop Borgess High School Alum:
"Interesting statistic I ran across recently. As late as the early 1960's there were 55 Catholic High Schools in the Detroit City limits (I think they included Hamtramck). Fast forward to today and there are only three in Detroit (and surprisingly nowhere near 55 in the suburbs either.)
Sidenote: there were over 100 Catholic elementary schools in Detroit at that time, today only 7."
With the closure of each school, much of its history has been lost, beyond recovering. It is the mission of the Detroit Catholic School Heritage Project to seek out and preserve that history and heritage, and to promote Catholic Education in the Detroit area.
