Restoring Our Church
Growing Our Parish
Reviving Our City
Where are we now?
After many months of intense work, our Building Committee was able to gather as much information as possible about the entire structure of the Church building, first in order to assure your safety, then to assess the much needed repairs the best way possible and to establish the most cost and time effective plan to address these many issues.
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Your safety is our first priority. With this in mind, this past year, with the professional services of WJE, Inc., a top engineering and architectural firm, thorough investigations of the steeple, foundations, facades, louvers, staircases and sacristy walls were conducted allowing us to discover new necessary stone repairs, neces-sary for the safety of our congregation. Drawings and specs were sent out for bids and Grunwell-Cashero, expert in building restoration for over 70 years, was awarded with unanimous approval of our Building Committee. Work will begin very soon (more information is forthcoming).
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What's next?
With the approval of the Archdiocese of Detroit and with the support of our Shrine finance council, we are currently working with Christman Construction to establish a Master Plan in order to address each item mentioned above in a cost-effective and timely manner, as well as many other projects such as the expansion of the parking lot, the repainting of the church, the organ restoration etc. Our hope is for this Master Plan to be ready before Spring of 2025, and for some of the work to begin before Christmas.
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Stay tuned for more updates.
In the meantime, we thank you wholeheartedly for your generous support!
Rev. Canon J.B. Commins, Pastor
Continued Work
​At the same time, investigations were also conducted for the roof, and emergency repairs were completed. Thanks to Schena Roofing, a leading Detroit roofing expert, an overall roof condition report was submitted to our team as a reference for future projects. Complete assessments of the cooling/heating system, as well as a complete interior and exterior electrical study were also submitted to us by DiClemente Siegle Inc., a Michigan engineering and architecture expert.
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Again, your safety is our first priority, and with the help of a generous donor and Butzel Long, one of Michigan’s top law firms, the city of Detroit approved our petition to vacate Jay street which will allow us to secure the entire perimeter of the north parking lot, with a new fence and new gate in the next few weeks, at the intersection of Jay and Orleans.
About Saint Joseph Shrine
A magnificent Victorian Gothic edifice completed in 1873 and noted as of national architectural significance, Saint Joseph Shrine is a landmark center of Catholic faith, culture, and community in Detroit’s historic Eastern Market district. Since October 2016, the Canons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest have served and led the local faithful by bringing daily Traditional Latin Masses, regular devotions, liturgical instruction, and an active parish life. As a result, the parish community at St. Joseph Shrine continues to grow enriching both young and old, individuals and families from all backgrounds and neighborhoods.
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In July 2013, the Archdiocese of Detroit merged St. Joseph with two nearby parishes. Then in October 2016, St. Joseph became its own parish under the spiritual and pastoral care of the Institute of Christ the King. In March 2020 the Parish was granted the designation of Archdiocesan Shrine in recognition of its vibrant spiritual growth and daily life. More details here.
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About St. Joseph Shrine
About the Institute of Christ the King
Founded in 1990 within the Roman Catholic Church, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest is a society of priests, sisters, and oblate brothers whose aim is to bring the truth in charity of Christ the King to every sphere of human life. Currently serving in eleven countries around the world and in thirteen dioceses across the United States, the Institute is devoted to the sanctification of souls through the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite with Gregorian chant and through the spirituality of its holy patrons: Saint Francis de Sales, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Saint Benedict of Nursia, as well as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
At the invitation of Archbishop Allen Vigneron, the Institute arrived in 2016 to re-vivify the newly unmerged parish, and to minister to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Detroit through a full sacramental life formed and nurtured by the Traditional Latin Mass. Sacred music, generous service of the poor, and cultural enlivenment have all flowered and continue to grow in the beautiful Saint Joseph’s Church in Detroit’s historic Eastern Market, an active and rapidly re-developing urban hub.