About Corpus Christi · Detroit, Michigan
Corpus Christi Catholic Church is a vibrant, multi-cultural Roman Catholic parish located in Northwest Detroit, Michigan, part of the Archdiocese of Detroit. The parish was formed in 2006 through the merger of St. Gerard Parish (established 1950) and Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish (established 1948), and worships in the former St. Gerard church building dated to 1964 on Pembroke Avenue. Known for its strong spirit of hospitality and faith-filled worship, Corpus Christi is widely recognized in the region for its extensive community outreach: it helped found New Hope Housing and Community Development Corporation, the Northwest Detroit Youth Coalition, Better Men Outreach, and the O'Hair Park Community Association, all of which serve the surrounding neighborhood.
- Established
- 2006
- Patron
- Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ)
- Rector
- Rev. James Lowe, C.C. (Priest In Solidum, Primarily Responsible)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit (parish is in the Trinity Vicariate, Central Region, and belongs to the 'Central Trinity 1' Family of Parishes)
Why belong here
Corpus Christi is a welcoming, multicultural Catholic community in Northwest Detroit that pairs faith-filled liturgy (Sunday Mass in English, weekly Eucharistic adoration, and a Christian Service outreach) with hands-on, decades-long work in the surrounding neighborhood. The parish is a hub for affordable-housing development, youth programming that reaches hundreds of children each year, a St. Vincent de Paul Society that helps families with food and utilities, and a long-standing Haiti Outreach Mission partnership supporting a medical clinic and orphanage near Port-au-Prince. Visitors and newcomers are explicitly invited to 'join us any time for prayer or for one of our many outreach efforts.'
Mass times at Corpus Christi
Weekly Mass schedule
Welcome and Parish Mission
Corpus Christi Parish describes itself as 'a vibrant multi-cultural faith community located in Northwest Detroit' whose mission is 'to radiate the presence of Jesus Christ in our parish and community and invite others to join us on the journey.' The parish is known locally for its hospitality, faith-filled worship, and an unusually deep commitment to community development that grew out of the surrounding neighborhood's needs. Visitors are explicitly invited to drop in for prayer or to take part in one of the parish's many outreach efforts.
- Mission Statement: 'We strive to radiate the presence of Jesus Christ in our parish and community and invite others to join us on the journey.'
- Multi-cultural Northwest Detroit community
- Hospitality and faith-filled worship emphasized
Parish History
Today's Corpus Christi Parish is the product of a 2006 merger between St. Gerard Parish (founded 1950) and Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish (founded 1948). The current church building, completed in 1964, originally belonged to St. Gerard. After St. Eugene Parish closed in 1989, many of those parishioners were absorbed into St. Gerard and, later, into Corpus Christi. The former IHM building, two miles east of the current site, still operates as a charter school.
- St. Gerard Parish founded 1950
- Current church building completed 1964
- Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish founded 1948
- St. Eugene Parish closed 1989, parishioners welcomed to St. Gerard
- St. Gerard + IHM merged in 2006 to form Corpus Christi
- Former IHM building now a charter school
Community Outreach and Social Justice
Outreach is the heart of Corpus Christi's identity. The parish's own About page describes how its members helped found New Hope Housing and Community Development Corporation, which has renovated twenty abandoned homes and built another twenty for first-time homebuyers while assisting some 250 families facing foreclosure. The parish also runs an extensive Christian Service program through a Christian Service Coordinator and the St. Vincent de Paul Society, providing food, utility help, and other assistance to neighbors in need.
- New Hope Housing & Community Development Corp. — affordable housing & foreclosure assistance
- St. Vincent de Paul Society — food, utilities, direct aid
- Christian Service Coordinator — parish outreach coordination
Youth and Family Programs
To address the lack of youth activities in the neighborhood, Corpus Christi members joined other community leaders to form the Northwest Detroit Youth Coalition. For roughly the past two decades the coalition has served an average of 300 young people each year through two month-long summer day camps, a soccer league, a T-ball league, a money-management program, and family outings (such as visits to The Henry Ford).
- Northwest Detroit Youth Coalition — summer day camps
- Soccer league
- T-ball league
- Money-management program for youth
- Family enrichment outings
Better Men Outreach
In 2009, Isaac Nyoman and Dongelo Moore asked to use the Corpus Christi gym to gather young men to play basketball once a week. What began as an informal pickup game grew into Better Men Outreach, which still meets weekly at the parish and draws up to roughly 50 young men each Sunday for basketball, mentoring, and fellowship.
- Weekly basketball in the parish gym
- Mentoring and life-skills programming for young men
- Up to ~50 young men gathering each week
Haiti Outreach Mission
A physician parishioner from Corpus Christi is part of the Haiti Outreach Mission, a nonprofit of twelve member churches that has focused on the town of Mirebalais, about 35 miles outside Port-au-Prince. The mission has built a medical clinic and an orphanage and helped sponsor more than 1,000 children in Catholic and Anglican schools. The parish proudly highlights this international work on its About page as a key expression of its missionary identity.
- Member congregation of Haiti Outreach Mission
- Medical clinic in Mirebalais, Haiti
- Orphanage in Mirebalais
- Sponsorship of 1,000+ children in Catholic and Anglican schools
Family of Parishes
Under the Archdiocese of Detroit's 'Family of Parishes' initiative, Corpus Christi is grouped into Central Trinity 1 within the Trinity Vicariate (Central Region). The parish's directory entry lists it as Parish #266 in the Archdiocese of Detroit, served jointly with nearby parishes in the same family.
- Vicariate: Trinity Vicariate
- Region: Central Region
- Family of Parishes: Central Trinity 1
- Parish ID #266 in the Archdiocese of Detroit directory
Visit, Contact, and Facilities
The parish can be reached by phone at 313-537-5770, by email at [email protected], or through the 'Get Directions' link on the parish homepage. The website also offers a 'Reserve a Room / Schedule' page, indicating that parish facilities (including the gym used by Better Men Outreach) are available for community use.
- Address: 19800 Pembroke Ave, Detroit, MI 48219
- Phone: 313-537-5770
- Email: [email protected]
- Facility rentals / room reservations available
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Richard Archambault1988–July 2019
Long-serving pastor first of St. Gerard, then of Corpus Christi after the 2006 merger; retired July 2019 after 31 years; founding figure of New Hope Housing, Northwest Detroit Youth Coalition, Better Men Outreach, and O'Hair Park Community Association.