About Divine Providence · Southfield, Michigan
Divine Providence Lithuanian Catholic Church (Dievo Apvaizdos Bažnyčia) is an ethnic Lithuanian Catholic parish in Southfield, Michigan, within the Archdiocese of Detroit. It serves as both a place of worship and a community center for the metro Detroit Lithuanian-American community, hosting Lithuanian Masses, a Saturday Lithuanian school, a cultural center, scouts, dance ensembles, and a small parish museum. The current parish is the third home of a Lithuanian Catholic congregation whose roots go back to 1908 in Detroit. Today the church is part of a multi-parish Family Sent on Mission with Our Lady of La Salette (Berkley), the Church of the Transfiguration (Southfield), and Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Oak Park).
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- Divine Providence
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Tomas Miliauskas, M.I.C.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit
Why belong here
Divine Providence is the last surviving Lithuanian Catholic parish in the Detroit area — an ethnic parish with no territorial boundaries, meaning any Catholic of Lithuanian heritage (or anyone drawn to its mission) can register from anywhere. Members keep the Lithuanian language alive in the liturgy: most weekday and Sunday Masses are celebrated in Lithuanian, and the parish grounds also house a cultural center, a parish museum/archives preserving the memory of the city's lost Lithuanian parishes, and Lithuanian Saturday school 'Ziburys.' The parish family is broad and unusually close-knit, with scouts, a folk-dance ensemble, a sports club, and Christian-Service outreach running alongside the church's faith life — a rare place where heritage, culture, and Catholic worship are woven together daily.
Mass times at Divine Providence
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday before 9:00 AM Mass
- Saturday before 4:00 PM Mass
- By appointment (call the rectory at 248-354-3429)
Parish Identity & Mission
The parish describes itself as an open, welcoming, and caring Catholic community called to share, renew, and grow in faith. Because it is an ethnic — not territorial — parish, its stated mission is twofold: to celebrate the Catholic faith and to preserve Lithuanian heritage through the use of the Lithuanian language in the liturgy and through the cultural, educational, and social activities housed in the adjacent Cultural Center. Members put faith into action through service and outreach to those in need.
- Self-described as an 'open, welcoming and caring Catholic community'
- Ethnic (Lithuanian) parish — no geographic boundaries
- Promotes Lithuanian language in liturgy
- Supports Lithuanian cultural and educational activity in the adjoining Cultural Center
Parish History
The parish traces its origin to 1908, when Fr. Kazimieras Valaitis and the Lithuanian Society of St. George built a wooden church at Westminster and Cardoni in Detroit, named St. George's Lithuanian Church. A new brick St. George's followed in 1917, and the parish became the social center of Detroit's Lithuanian community. In 1949 the parish relocated to Schaefer and Grand River and took the name 'Divine Providence Lithuanian Church'; in 1968 the parishioners won the right from Bishop Thomas Gumbleton to keep their ethnic-parish status, and the present Southfield complex was dedicated on September 8, 1973. The parish has now outlasted every other Lithuanian Catholic parish in metro Detroit.
- 1908 — St. George's Lithuanian Church founded at Westminster & Cardoni, Detroit (Fr. Kazimieras Valaitis)
- 1917 — New brick St. George's built
- 1949 — Relocated to Schaefer & Grand River; renamed Divine Providence Lithuanian Church
- 1968 — Bishop Thomas Gumbleton conceded retention of ethnic-parish status
- 1970 — Old Divine Providence church demolished for the Jeffries Freeway
- 1972 — Construction began at 9 Mile Road & Beech Daly
- September 8, 1973 — New complex dedicated
- April 27, 2008 — 100-year anniversary celebrated; Congressional Record tribute entered by Rep. Joe Knollenberg
Architecture & Notable Art
The Southfield complex — church, rectory, and cultural center — was designed by Lithuanian-Canadian architect Alfredas Kulpa-Kulpavičius. While a diocese-imposed cost cap required functional rather than ornate construction, the interior is rich in Lithuanian sacred art. Three outdoor monuments, including one to Jurgis Jurgutis (Michigan's first honorary Lithuanian consul), complete the cultural landscape.
- Architect: Alfredas Kulpa-Kulpavičius (Lithuanian-Canadian)
- Stained-glass windows by Vytautas K. Jonynas — most striking: St. Casimir and the Vytis
- Wooden relief carvings by Jurgis Daugvila — Hill of Crosses of Šiauliai and Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis
- Three Lithuanian monuments on the grounds, including a statue of Jesus relocated from earlier parish locations
Sacraments
The parish offers the normal Catholic sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, Eucharist) through its Priest in Solidum. Pastors have historically been willing to meet with returning Catholics and to help those whose previous marriages may have kept them from the sacraments.
- Baptism
- Marriage (and pastoral help with prior-marriage issues)
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Anointing of the Sick / hospital and home visitation
- Sacramental preparation coordinated through the parish office
Parish Clergy & Staff
The parish is pastored by Rev. Fr. Tomas Miliauskas, M.I.C., of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, with its sacramental life supported by a wider team of priests who make up the parish's Family Sent on Mission, plus two deacons. Fr. Tomas is currently on medical leave (per a 2025 Family bulletin); weekend and sacramental coverage is provided by priests from partner parishes.
- Pastor — Rev. Fr. Tomas Miliauskas, M.I.C. (cell 248-730-6034, [email protected])
- Deacon — Daniel M. Darga
- Deacon (Retired) — Clem Stankiewicz
- Family-of-Parishes clergy also serving: Fr. Patrick J. Connell, Fr. Jeffrey Scheeler O.F.M., Fr. Raphael Ozoude O.F.M., Fr. Paul Chateau, Fr. Jeremy Harrington O.F.M., Fr. John Vandenakker C.C.
- Business Manager — Robertas Selenis
- Office Manager — Alma Butkunas
- Rectory business hours — Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Parish Council & Commissions
The parish is governed by an active parish council with named committee chairs for the major areas of parish life — finance, liturgy, buildings, Christian service, and outreach to the wider Family of Parishes. Council members also serve as liaisons to several of the Lithuanian-American organizations housed on the parish grounds.
- Business Manager — Robertas Selenis
- Buildings Administrator — Algis Petrulis
- Christian Services Chair — Rasa Karvelis
- Liturgical Committee Chair — Laima Maziliauskas
- Finance Committee Chair — Kris Merkys
- Sports Club 'Kovas' Representative — Paulius Butkunas
- Ziburys & Lithuanian Scouts Representative / Facebook Administrator — Vilija Jurgutis
- Altar Flowers & Holiday Luncheon — Susan Bubnelis
- Family of Parishes representatives — Kristina Reinhardt, Antanas Strakšys, Algis Kaunelis
Lithuanian Cultural & Community Organizations Hosted
The parish complex is far more than a church — it is a working cultural center for metro Detroit's Lithuanian-American community. Numerous Lithuanian-heritage organizations hold their meetings, classes, and events on the property, and the parish supports them as part of its mission to preserve Lithuanian language, education, and culture.
- Daughters of Lithuania
- Lithuanian-American Community of Detroit, Inc.
- Lithuanian Scouts
- Lithuanian Catholic Youth Association 'Ateitis'
- Lithuanian Saturday school 'Ziburys'
- Sports Club 'Kovas'
- Lithuanian Folk Dance Ensemble 'Saltinis'
- Šauliai (Lithuanian Riflemen association)
- Parish Museum / Archives (preserving Detroit's lost Lithuanian parishes)
Family Sent on Mission (Family of Parishes)
Divine Providence is one of four parishes in the 'Northwest South Oakland 5' / 'Family Sent on Mission' — a grouping of South Oakland County parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit that share clergy and pastoral resources. The other parishes are Our Lady of La Salette (Berkley), the Church of the Transfiguration (Southfield), and Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Oak Park). Because several of the Family's priests are on medical leave or retired, weekday and weekend Mass schedules across the four parishes have been adjusted to ensure every Mass has significant attendance.
- Divine Providence (Lithuanian) Parish, Southfield
- Our Lady of La Salette Parish, Berkley
- Church of the Transfiguration, Southfield
- Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, Oak Park
- Vicarate: South Oakland Vicariate, Northwest Region, Archdiocese of Detroit
Bible Study & Faith Formation
A Bible Study group is offered through the parish as part of its ongoing faith-formation ministry.
- Bible Study (scheduled on the parish worship calendar)
Visiting & Joining the Parish
Because Divine Providence is an ethnic Lithuanian parish without territorial boundaries, anyone — including those who live far from Southfield — may register as a parishioner. Registration forms are kept on shelves just outside the church; completed forms can be returned to the pastor or the parish office. Returning Catholics and those with concerns about previous marriages are encouraged to speak with a priest in person.
- Parish registration forms available outside the church
- Returning Catholics welcomed
- Pastoral help available for those with previous-marriage concerns
- Phone: 248-354-3429
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Kazimieras Valaitis1908–
Founder of the parish; together with the Lithuanian Society of St. George he built the original wooden St. George's Lithuanian Church at Westminster and Cardoni in Detroit. (1864–1941)
- Rev. Ricardas Repsys, M.I.C.2004–2009
Marian Father from Kaunas, Lithuania (b. 1950, ordained 1981); came to the U.S. in 2004 to serve the Detroit-area Lithuanian Catholics and granted permanent residency in 2008. Drowned on July 28, 2009, on Lake St. Clair while trying to save his 13-year-old nephew visiting from Lithuania.
- Rev. Gintaras Antanas Jonikas
Listed as contact pastor on older parish materials; predecessor to Fr. Tomas Miliauskas.
- Rev. Tomas Miliauskas, M.I.C.–present
Current pastor; celebrated his 20th anniversary of priestly ordination in June 2023. Currently on medical leave per the Family bulletin (2025).