About Sacred Heart · Detroit, Michigan
Sacred Heart Catholic Church sits at 1000 Eliot Street in Detroit's historic Eastern Market neighborhood and has been called 'The Mother Church of Black Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit.' Founded in 1875 as a German-Catholic parish, the church became the home of Detroit's first Black Catholic congregation in 1938 when the St. Peter Claver community marched up Eliot Street and took up residence in the building. Today it is part of the Detroit Lower Eastside / Central Renaissance 2 Family of Parishes and continues as the largest Black Catholic congregation in the Archdiocese of Detroit, serving about 3,250 members under the pastorship of Father Richard Baumann, SJ (since September 2024).
- Established
- 1875
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Richard Baumann, SJ (Priest in Solidum, arrived September 2024)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit (Renaissance Vicariate, Central Region; member of the Central Renaissance 2 Family of Parishes)
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is more than a worship site — it is a community actively engaged in Detroit's renewal. The parish gathers about 3,250 members each week, livestreams its 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass, and continues the legacy of its long-time pastor Fr. Norman P. Thomas in advocacy for racial justice, the poor and the marginalized. Visitors will find a historic 1875 Italianate church on the National Register of Historic Places, a faith community rooted in Black Catholic spirituality, and an open welcome — 'a church where everyone — no matter who they were — were welcomed.' Ministries extend from faith formation and music to outreach and partnerships with neighboring parishes in the Detroit Lower Eastside Family of Parishes.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity and Mission
Sacred Heart Catholic Church identifies itself as 'The Mother Church of Black Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit,' a designation earned through more than a century of Black Catholic leadership, witness and advocacy from the corner of Eliot and Rivard. The parish describes itself with the words 'We have come this far by faith' and frames worship as 'to express not only what we are but even more, what we wish to become.' With roughly 3,250 members, Sacred Heart is the largest Black Catholic congregation in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
History of Sacred Heart
The parish's own history page traces its origins to 1875 and the German-American families who founded it under Bishop Casper H. Borgess, with Fathers Aloysius Kurtz, O.F.M., and Eugene Butterman, O.F.M., as its founding pastors. A parallel history begins in 1911 with eighteen Black Catholics meeting Father Joseph Wuest, C.S.Sp., at Old St. Mary's; that community became St. Peter Claver in 1914 and finally merged into the Sacred Heart building on September 1, 1938.
- 1875 — German-American Catholics found Sacred Heart at Grove (now Eliot) and Prospect (now Rivard) Streets
- 1911 — Eighteen Black Catholics organize a parish at Old St. Mary's with Fr. Joseph Wuest, C.S.Sp.
- 1914 — St. Peter Claver Church dedicated by Bishop John Foley at Beaubien and Eliot
- 1936 — St. Peter Claver School opens with two Felician Sisters and 64 students
- 1938 — Parishioners march up Eliot Street into Sacred Heart; St. Peter Claver relocates
- 1941 — First Sacred Heart High School freshman class begins
- 1945 — First high school graduates (45 students) receive diplomas
- 1957 — Sacred Heart High School closes
- 1965 — Sacred Heart Elementary School closes
- 1967 — Sacred Heart Center opens as a residence for the rehabilitation of alcoholics
- 1968 — Fr. Norman P. Thomas appointed pastor by Cardinal John Dearden
- 1975 — Church complex designated a Michigan State Historic Site
- 1980 — Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- 2023 — Fr. Norman Thomas dies on February 26 after 54 years as pastor
- 2024 — Fr. Richard Baumann, SJ, arrives as the parish's new pastor
150th Anniversary (1875–2025)
The parish's anniversary page collects its fullest narrative, from the multi-ethnic Detroit of the late nineteenth century through Vatican II and the civil rights movement. It credits Bishop Borgess's permission for the 1875 founding, traces the Holy Ghost (C.S.Sp.) pastorship that ended with Fr. Jerome Stegman on October 20, 1968, and closes with the line 'In September of 2024, Fr. Richard Baumann, SJ came to serve the parish as our pastor…and so, the dream continues.'
- Original blessing by Bishop Casper H. Borgess
- First pastor: Father Eugene Butterman, O.F.M.
- Last Holy Ghost pastor: Father Jerome Stegman, C.S.Sp. (1968)
- Longest pastorate: Father Norman P. Thomas (1968–2023)
- Current pastor: Father Richard Baumann, SJ (2024–)
Architecture and Historic Recognition
Designed by Peter J. Diederichs and completed in 1875, Sacred Heart is a red-brick Italianate church with cream-painted wood belfry and spire, roundhead windows with stone stills and keystones, and a pedimented, projecting entrance along Rivard. The seventh bay houses the sacristy and service rooms. The 1975 Michigan State Historic Site designation and the 1980 National Register listing recognize not only the architecture but the cultural significance of the community that has worshipped here since 1938.
- Architect: Peter J. Diederichs
- Built: 1875
- Style: Italianate with Romanesque Revival elements
- NRHP reference: #80001926 (added June 6, 1980)
- Michigan State Historic Site (designated June 19, 1975)
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
Sacred Heart is pastored today within an In Solidum team of priests serving the Detroit Lower Eastside Family of Parishes. Rev. Richard Baumann, SJ serves at Sacred Heart as Priest in Solidum; Rev. Francis Asomkase, SSJ serves as Moderator of the family across multiple parishes including Sacred Heart, St. Charles Borromeo, Nativity of Our Lord, St. Augustine & St. Monica, and St. Elizabeth.
- Rev. Richard Baumann, SJ — Priest in Solidum (current pastor since September 2024)
- Rev. Francis Asomkase, SSJ — Priest in Solidum, Moderator
Mass and Worship Schedule
The parish publishes a steady weekly schedule of three Sunday-equivalent Masses plus one weekday Mass, confirming what the parish home page and the Archdiocese of Detroit Mass Finder both list. The 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass is livestreamed on the parish website.
- Sunday — 8:00 a.m.
- Sunday — 10:00 a.m. (livestreamed)
- Saturday — 5:00 p.m.
- Tuesday — 5:00 p.m.
Sacraments
The parish's Sacraments page lists the standard Catholic sacraments celebrated at Sacred Heart: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance (the sacrament's own name is used rather than 'Confession'), Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Penance
- Anointing of the Sick
- Marriage
- Holy Orders
Parish Ministries and Outreach
A 1978 Michigan historical marker still describes what the parish does: 'Affiliated with Sacred Heart Parish are a Sunday school, a choir, several church auxiliary organizations, and numerous social, educational, and cultural functions which serve the people of this community.' Fr. Norman P. Thomas expanded this ministry footprint for more than five decades, and the parish continues to support the Norman P. Thomas Educational Scholarship in his memory.
- Sunday school
- Parish choir
- Church auxiliary organizations
- Social, educational and cultural programs
- Norman P. Thomas Educational Scholarship
- Sacred Heart Center (residence for alcoholics, opened 1967)
- Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance (founded under Fr. Thomas)
Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance and Social Justice
Fr. Thomas's most durable institutional legacy outside Sacred Heart is the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance, founded after 1967 to let pastors across Detroit partner around jobs, housing, racial justice and Catholic social teaching. 'If the Church was going to meet the needs of the people, it had to be about creating economic opportunities in the city,' explained one parish leader. Sacred Heart remains a visible anchor of that coalition.
Sacred Heart Center
In 1967 the old school building became the first home of Sacred Heart Center, a residence devoted to the rehabilitation of alcoholics; it was staffed for a time by the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters. The convent now houses Sisters of the Racine Dominican Community who work in various apostolates across the city.
Detroit Lower Eastside Family of Parishes
Sacred Heart belongs to the Central Renaissance 2 / Detroit Lower Eastside Family of Parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit's restructuring, alongside Nativity of Our Lord, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Augustine & St. Monica, and St. Elizabeth. Parish bulletins list cross-parish Sunday Mass times and a shared In Solidum pastoral team.
- Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Detroit
- St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Detroit
- St. Augustine & St. Monica Parish, Detroit
- St. Elizabeth Parish, Detroit
- Sacred Heart Parish, Detroit
Visiting Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart is located near I-75 and Mack Avenue in Detroit's Historic Eastern Market District. The 1875 building is itself a point of interest and has been called 'the most lucid example of Italianate church architecture to be found in the Detroit area.' Admission is free; donations support the parish's ongoing work.
- Address: 1000 Eliot Street, Detroit, MI 48207
- Phone: (313) 831-1356
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.sacredheartdetroit.com
- Near I-75 and Mack Avenue in the Historic Eastern Market District
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Eugene Butterman, O.F.M.1875–
First pastor of the German-American parish founded by Father Aloysius Kurtz, O.F.M.
- Fr. Joseph Wuest, C.S.Sp.1911–1914
Pastor of Old St. Mary's who met with eighteen Black Catholics on Sept. 1, 1911 to organize the St. Peter Claver congregation
- Fr. Henry Thiefels, C.S.Sp.1932–1938
Opened St. Peter Claver School in 1936 with two Felician Sisters and 64 students; led the 1938 march up Eliot Street to Sacred Heart
- Fr. Jerome Stegman, C.S.Sp.until October 20, 1968
Last of the Holy Ghost Fathers to lead the parish
- Fr. Norman P. Thomas1968–2023
Appointed by Cardinal John Dearden on Oct. 20, 1968; served 54 years until his death on Feb. 26, 2023; known as 'the People's Pastor'; also administered St. Elizabeth Parish, Detroit from 2007
- Fr. Richard Baumann, SJSeptember 2024–present
Current pastor; first Jesuit to lead the parish