About Assumption Grotto · Detroit, Michigan
Assumption Grotto Catholic Church (formally the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) is a historic Roman Catholic parish on Detroit's northeast side, founded by German and French Catholic settlers who built a log chapel — known affectionately as 'Kirchen Wald' or 'St. Mary's in the Woods' — along Gratiot Avenue in the 1830s. The parish grew through four successive churches and, in 1881, built a replica of the Lourdes grotto behind the present church, which became one of Michigan's oldest outdoor Marian shrines and gave the parish its popular name. Today the Neo-Gothic church (completed 1929), the parish cemetery, and the Lourdes grotto together form the Assumption Grotto Church Complex, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Assumption Grotto has long been associated with the Traditional Latin Mass (1962 Missale Romanum) as well as the Ordinary Form, and draws thousands of pilgrims each year, especially on the August 15 Solemnity of the Assumption.
- Established
- 1832 (log chapel); parish established 1847
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under her title of the Assumption)
- Rector
- Rev. John Bustamante
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit
Why belong here
Parishioners come to Assumption Grotto for a faith community that has served Detroit since the 1830s and offers both the Ordinary Form and the Traditional Latin (1962 Missale Romanum) Masses daily, in a setting honored as a Michigan State Historic Site. The Lourdes-replica grotto is a popular pilgrimage destination — drawing an estimated 10,000–15,000 visitors a year — anchored by the annual August 15 Solemnity of the Assumption, with outdoor Masses, Eucharistic processions, the Lourdes Candlelight Procession, Scapular enrollment, and blessing of herbs. The parish also offers daily rosary at the grotto, a Secular Carmelite community, the Grotto Knights of Columbus, Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and a parish cemetery where many past pastors are buried — a depth of Marian and traditional devotion that is rare in metro Detroit.
Mass times at Assumption Grotto
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
- Sunday: generally available 30 minutes before Masses up until the Gospel
- Assumption Day (Aug. 15): also offered 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM
Adoration times
- Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: Sunday after the noon Mass (grotto benediction), weather permitting
- Assumption Day (Aug. 15): Exposition in the church 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM, followed by procession and Benediction at the grotto
Parish History
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish traces its origins to 1832, when German and French Catholic settlers along Gratiot Avenue — fleeing a cholera epidemic in Detroit — built a log chapel on land donated by the Greiner family and called it 'Kirchen Wald' (Church in the Woods). Canonically erected as a parish in 1847 (only the second in present-day Detroit) and given its first full-time pastor, Fr. Amandus Van den Driessche, in 1852, the parish grew through four successive churches on the same Gratiot Avenue site, including the present Neo-Gothic church designed by Aloys Frank Herman and dedicated September 22, 1929.
The Lourdes Grotto
In 1876 Fr. Van den Driessche made a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France and, deeply moved, commissioned a replica grotto designed by church architect Peter Dederichs Jr. Parishingers hauled in limestone and enormous fieldstone boulders from across southeast Michigan, and the shrine was dedicated May 29, 1881. Pope Leo XIII followed on April 30, 1882 with a proclamation of partial and plenary indulgences for visitors. Believed to be the oldest outdoor Marian shrine in Michigan, the Grotto was renovated and rededicated on the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 2002, by Cardinal Adam J. Maida.
- Designed by Peter Dederichs Jr., earliest-known Michigan specialist in church/institutional design
- Built of imported limestone and boulders carried in by local farmers
- Quarter-mile paved path from the cemetery's front gate, with Stations of the Cross added July 1962
- Bronze statue of St. Bernadette kneeling in prayer, by Detroit sculptor Edward Chesney, stands in front of the grotto
- Drawing an estimated 10,000–15,000 pilgrims annually
Sacraments
Daily Mass (in either form), Saturday reconciliation from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM, and additional Reconciliation around Sunday Masses and major feasts are the standing schedule. Baptisms, Marriages, Anointing of the Sick, Scapular enrollment, and Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary are arranged through the rectory.
Marian Devotions & Special Feasts
The parish's devotional life is centered on the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Lourdes Grotto, most visibly at the annual August 15 Solemnity of the Assumption, when thousands gather for outdoor Masses, a Lourdes Candlelight Procession, Eucharistic Procession from the church to the grotto with Sung Divine Mercy Chaplet and Benediction, Scapular enrollment, Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary, blessing of herbs and of the Miraculous Medal, and an Italian pasta dinner. A weekly Sunday rosary and benediction are held at the grotto (weather permitting).
Parish Ministries & Community Life
A relatively small parish in numbers but rich in devotional and volunteer activity, Assumption Grotto sustains a number of lay-led groups that organize liturgies, devotions, and the annual feast-day gatherings.
- Grotto Knights of Columbus (lead the rosary at the grotto on Assumption Day)
- Secular Carmelites (lead the Assumption Day rosary)
- Parish Choir (full choir supports the 9:30 AM Sunday Tridentine Mass)
- Gift Shop / Used Religious Goods Sale
- Hospitality / Pasta Dinner Ministry
Parish Cemetery
The Assumption Grotto Cemetery lies behind the church along the path leading to the Lourdes Grotto. It spans the early 19th century to the present, holds roughly 3,350 memorials (per Find a Grave), and is the burial place of several former Grotto pastors, other priests, and historic civic leaders whose names grace neighborhood street signs (e.g., Greiner Street).
Campus & Historic Complex
Together, the church, 1918 rectory, early-1920s convent, parish cemetery, and grotto with granite outdoor altar make up the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church Complex — a Michigan State Historic Site (1990) on the National Register of Historic Places (1991). A 1960s gymnasium/activity building stands behind the convent on the footprint of a former school.
- Assumption Grotto Church (Neo-Gothic, 1929) — Aloys Frank Herman, architect
- The Lourdes Grotto (1881) — Peter Dederichs Jr., architect
- Rectory (1918), Convent (early 1920s)
- Parish Cemetery
- Gymnasium/Activity Building (1960s)
Clergy & Staff
The parish is staffed by a small team with deep roots in the Assumption Grotto community.
- Rev. John Bustamante — Pastor
- Deacon James Wilder — Permanent Deacon
- Fr. Eduard Perrone — served as pastor 1994–2018 (Ordinary Form and Traditional Latin Mass liturgies, music); restricted from public ministry effective July 5, 2018 pending canonical review
Becoming a Parishioner
Newcomers can register with the parish online via the 'Become a Parishioner' page on the parish website or in person at the rectory. Sacramental needs and feast-day volunteering (knights, Carmelites, hospitality, choir, gift shop, cemetery) can be arranged through the parish office at (313) 372-0762.
Visit & Contact
The parish welcomes visitors year-round. Liturgies and devotions move into the church from the grotto in poor weather. The rectory is open during posted hours and reachable by phone or email.
- Address: 13770 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, MI 48205
- Phone: (313) 372-0762
- Email: [email protected] (rectory: [email protected])
- Website: http://www.assumptiongrotto.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Amandus Van den Driessche1852–
First full-time pastor; arrived from Flanders, Belgium; built the 1852 brick church; commissioned the Lourdes Grotto replica, dedicated 1881.
- Msgr. Joseph Brietenbeck
Sixth pastor (per parish historian); added the current set of Stations of the Cross along the grotto path in July 1962; later became Bishop of Grand Rapids.
- Fr. Eduard Perrone1994–2018
Longest-recent pastor (since 1994); musician, ordained 1978; previously associate pastor at Assumption Grotto 1984–87; restricted from public ministry effective July 5, 2018, following an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor dating to his early years in ministry, pending canonical review.