Our Lady of the Rosary (Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry)

Welcome from the Chaplain

Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry opens with a direct greeting from chaplain Fr. Matthew Hood: 'Hello! It is a joy to welcome you to Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry! There are so many influences and forces tugging at your attention as college students today. Deeper than all of those forces is a thirst within your heart that nothing in this life can satisfy.' Quoting John 7:37 — 'If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink' — Fr. Hood sets the pastoral goal of the ministry: to help every student 'discover Jesus as the deepest longing of your heart.' The front of the website also features the opening line of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 'The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself.'

Our Story & the Historic Our Lady of the Rosary Church

Our Lady of the Rosary began in 1889 in the home of a Detroit parishioner and grew into a small church next door before its Catholic congregation chose to buy an already-built sanctuary. In 1907 Father Francis J. VanAntwerp purchased the 1893–96 sandstone church on Woodward Avenue that had been St. Joseph's Episcopal Church, and the parish was consecrated according to the Roman Rite. The Catholic owners added a gilded statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the south tower and extended the nave. The parish ran an all-boys high school staffed by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (closed 1950); the rectory and convent were lost to the I-94 freeway in 1964; and the complex joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Since 2021 the church has served as the home of Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry.

• Parish founded 1907 by Father Francis J. VanAntwerp; congregational roots reach to 1889.
• Church built 1893–1896 as St. Joseph's Episcopal Church, designed by Malcomson & Higginbotham.
• Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, August 3, 1982 (NRHP #82002908).
• Gilded Blessed Virgin Mary statue added to the south tower after the Catholic purchase.
• Locally nicknamed 'Our Lady of the Freeway' because I-94 replaced old Medbury Street alongside the church.
• In 2021 the church and former convent became the home of Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry.

Architecture of the 1896 Sanctuary

The worship space is a massive rock-faced, cross-gable-roofed sandstone Romanesque Revival structure. The gabled façade is flanked by two contrasting towers: a tall, square, pyramid-roofed south tower (crowned by the gilded Blessed Virgin) and a round, conical-roofed north tower, with a one-story entrance vestibule beneath a large rose window. Inside, what was originally a Greek-cross plan was extended into a Latin-cross plan when the Catholic owners added space to the rear. The stained glass and exterior are preserved, though the interior has been altered over time to serve its new role as a campus-ministry worship space.

• Style: Romanesque Revival
• Architects: Malcomson & Higginbotham (Detroit)
• Built 1893–1896 as St. Joseph's Episcopal Church
• Sandstone, cross-gable roof, twin towers, rose-window vestibule
• NRHP-listed, Religious Structures of Woodward Avenue thematic resources

OCIA — Becoming Catholic in College

DCCM runs OCIA (the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, formerly RCIA) for college students who want to learn more about the Catholic faith, complete their Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion), or simply bring honest questions. Because OCIA is built around the academic year and the rhythms of student life, it is one of the most active conversion pathways in the Archdiocese of Detroit — Fr. Hood has noted that DCCM has had ten students received into the Church in a single Easter.

• Open to any student inquiring about the Catholic faith
• Preparation for Baptism, Confirmation, and/or First Communion
• Folds into the life of the student center (Mass, small groups, mentorship)

Bible Studies, Discipleship, and FOCUS

The heartbeat of DCCM's student formation is its network of weekly Bible studies and FOCUS-led discipleship groups. The ministry partners with FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students), whose missionaries live in the student center, meet students on campus, lead multiple Bible studies a week, and walk students through one-on-one discipleship. The result, by 2024–2025, was more than 180 students in Bible study at DCCM, two young men entering seminary, and a steady stream of students received into the Church.

• Multiple weekly Bible studies (men's, women's, and co-ed) led by DCCM staff and FOCUS missionaries
• FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) partnership — missionaries living in the student center
• One-on-one discipleship small groups for men and women
• Annual retreats, mission-trip formation, and leadership tracks

Student Life, Sunday Supper, and Social Events

Beyond the sacraments, DCCM cultivates a real student community. The free Sunday Supper after the 5:30 PM Mass is the weekly gathering that ties everything together — a free meal for all college students, whether they're Catholic, curious, or just hungry. The student center itself is set up as a 'home base' where students can study between classes, hang out, and meet other Catholics on campus; the same model is replicated at the woodsy Gabriel Richard Student Center near UM-Dearborn. DCCM also runs socials, game nights, retreats, and service opportunities that are promoted on its Instagram, Facebook, and Mighty Networks channels.

• Sunday Supper — free weekly dinner after the 5:30 PM Sunday Mass
• Student center open Mon–Thu 9 AM–9 PM, Fri 9 AM–3 PM
• Social events, retreats, and service / volunteer opportunities
• WhatsApp group, Instagram, Facebook, and Mighty Networks keep students in the loop

Our Lady of the Rosary Student Center (Wayne State)

The 5930 Woodward Avenue location is the main DCCM hub. The former parish convent next to the historic church has been converted into a student center, and the church itself serves as the worship space. It sits right at the corner of I-94 and Woodward Avenue, directly across the street from Wayne State University, with free parking available for students who participate in DCCM. The center is open five days a week and is intended to be a place of prayer, study, recreation, and socialization for Catholic college students from Wayne State, the College for Creative Studies, Wayne County Community College District, and other nearby schools.

• Address: 5930 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202
• Corner of I-94 and Woodward, across from Wayne State University
• Free student parking for DCCM participants
• Hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–9 PM; Fri 9 AM–3 PM
• Worship space: 1896 Romanesque Revival church (NRHP-listed)

Gabriel Richard Student Center (UM-Dearborn)

DCCM's second location serves the western end of its footprint: the Gabriel Richard Student Center sits between the University of Michigan–Dearborn and Henry Ford College, tucked into the woods off the north entrance to UM-Dearborn, with a parking lot on site and a walkway connecting to Henry Ford College on the opposite side. It hosts Mon/Tue 12:30 PM daily Mass and 12:00–12:30 PM confession, and is open Mon–Thu 9 AM–4 PM as a place to meet other students, pray, and study. The same DCCM chaplaincy and FOCUS missionaries staff this center alongside the Wayne State location.

• Between the University of Michigan–Dearborn and Henry Ford College
• Daily Mass Mon/Tue 12:30 PM; Confession Mon/Tue 12:00–12:30 PM
• Hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–4 PM
• Chapel, study space, and fellowship area

Staff and Chaplaincy

DCCM is led by a chaplain from the Archdiocese of Detroit. Fr. Matthew Hood was installed July 1, 2021, as the first archdiocesan priest assigned full-time to Catholic college students in the region in several years — previously the work was done by priests from the Companions of the Cross religious community. In 2025 Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger named Fr. Hood administrator of St. John Fisher Chapel University Parish in Auburn Hills and appointed Fr. Steven Mateja, an in solidum priest from St. John Fisher, as co-chaplain of DCCM and parochial vicar of St. John Fisher, so the two campus ministries share priests and resources while remaining independent. Student leadership includes a president and vice president of DCCM drawn from the Wayne State student body, and a team of FOCUS missionaries.

• Fr. Matthew Hood — Chaplain, Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry; now also administrator of St. John Fisher Chapel University Parish, Auburn Hills
• Fr. Steven Mateja — Co-chaplain, DCCM; parochial vicar, St. John Fisher
• Student leadership: DCCM president and vice president (Wayne State students)
• FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionaries on staff

Contact, Visit, and Give

Visitors and prospective students can reach DCCM at the Our Lady of the Rosary Student Center, 5930 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202 (phone (313) 875-6011) or through its website, Instagram, Facebook, and Mighty Networks community. The DCCM site also features a 'GIVE' link for supporting the ministry, and the Archdiocese of Detroit lists DCCM among its official campus ministries under chaplain Fr. Matthew Hood.

• Address: 5930 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202
• Phone: (313) 875-6011
• Website: https://detroitcatholiccampusministry.org/
• Instagram and Facebook under 'Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry'
• Free parking for DCCM students at the Woodward Avenue center