About SS. Andrew and Benedict · Detroit, Michigan
SS. Andrew and Benedict is a small Catholic parish on Detroit's far southwest side, in the downriver area near River Rouge and Ecorse, founded in 1924 to serve the Slovak immigrant community of the Delray neighborhood. The parish is a Roman Rite church within the Archdiocese of Detroit and has long been celebrated for its ethnic diversity — what was once a primarily Polish-American, Slovak, and African American community has, in recent years, become overwhelmingly Hispanic while still proudly retaining its Slovak roots and patron saints. The parish was clustered with St. Mary Magdalen in Melvindale and St. André Bessette in Ecorse, and on July 14, 2024, the Archdiocese decreed that Ss. Andrew & Benedict would merge into St. André Bessette Parish, with the church building itself relegated to secular use.
- Established
- 1924
- Patron
- Sts. Andrew (Svorad) and Benedict (Beňadik), 11th-century Benedictine saints; St. Andrew was a Polish hermit, Benedict was likely Slovak, both disciples of St. Anthony the Abbot who died in the 1030s
- Rector
- Parish merged into St. André Bessette Parish, Ecorse effective July 14, 2024; Fr. Timothy Birney served as Moderator of the Priests In Solidum for the Downriver Vicariate Family 1
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit
Why belong here
Ss. Andrew & Benedict has been described by its own longtime members as 'a parish community that prays, worships, dines together and serves the neighborhood, just as Scripture says to.' For nearly a century it has been a place where immigrant communities — first Slovak, then Polish, African American, and Hispanic — have layered their traditions on top of one another rather than replacing them, so a visitor can encounter Slovak devotional heritage, African-descent saint imagery, and Hispanic popular piety side by side. The parish also anchors the Perry Outreach Center, the charitable hub shared by the downriver clustered churches, making it a place where liturgy and service to the surrounding neighborhood go hand in hand.
Mass times at SS. Andrew and Benedict
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Call St. Mary Magdalen (313-381-8566) or St. André Bessette (313-383-8514) for times
Adoration times
- First Friday: 5:00 PM — Eucharistic Adoration
- First Friday: 5:00 PM — Divine Mercy Devotion
About SS. Andrew and Benedict
Ss. Andrew & Benedict is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Detroit, located at 2430 S. Beatrice Street on Detroit's far southwest side, near the River Rouge/Ecorse line. Founded in 1924 as a Slovak national parish and daughter of St. John Cantius (Delray), it became one of the Archdiocese's best-known 'shared parishes,' layering Slovak, Polish, African American, and Hispanic Catholic traditions on top of one another. The parish is currently served alongside its sister churches St. Mary Magdalen (Melvindale) and St. André Bessette (Ecorse) under a clustering arrangement, and was formally merged into St. André Bessette effective July 14, 2024.
- Founded 1924
- 2430 South Beatrice Street, Detroit, MI 48217
- Archdiocese of Detroit
- Daughter parish of St. John Cantius, Delray
History
Created in 1924 to minister to the Slovak immigrants of southwest Detroit, Ss. Andrew & Benedict grew alongside St. John Cantius, its mother parish. As the neighborhood changed over the twentieth century, the parish welcomed successive waves of Polish, African American, and Hispanic Catholics, with then-pastor Fr. Ed Zaorski recognized for intentionally integrating newcomers into parish leadership. In 2007–2008 the church received sacred furnishings from two closing parishes — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and St. John Cantius itself — and in fall 2019 was clustered with St. Mary Magdalen and St. André Bessette under Fr. Cornelius Okeke. After more than a century of independent life, the parish was merged into St. André Bessette on July 14, 2024.
- 1924 — parish founded for Slovak community
- 2007 — St. John Cantius closes; angel murals and furnishings transferred to Ss. Andrew & Benedict
- 2008 — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel closes; Our Lady statue and Infant of Prague transferred in
- Fall 2019 — clustered with St. Mary Magdalen and St. André Bessette under Fr. Cornelius Okeke
- March 1, 2021 — Fr. Timothy Birney named moderator, In Solidum team, Downriver Vicariate Family 1
- March 3, 2014 — 90th Anniversary Mass celebrated
- January 23, 2024 — Archbishop Vigneron decrees merger into St. André Bessette
- July 14, 2024 — merger and church decommissioning take effect
Patron Saints
The church is named for two 11th-century Benedictine saints venerated together: St. Andrew (Svorad), a Polish hermit, and St. Benedict (Beňadik), likely Slovak, who were disciples of St. Anthony the Abbot. Both died in the 1030s. Their traditional feast day is July 13, and they are the namesake saints of this small southwest Detroit parish that has served waves of immigrant communities over the last century.
- St. Andrew Svorad — Polish Benedictine hermit, d. c. 1030s
- St. Benedict (Beňadik) — likely Slovak Benedictine, d. c. 1030s
- Feast day: July 13
Architecture & Sacred Art
The building is a small Romanesque-style church with rose-colored sanctuary walls behind the side altars and painted features throughout. Because of its Detroit-downriver setting, it absorbed devotional art from two closed neighboring parishes: the statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Infant of Prague (and likely the reredos) from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (closed 2008), and gold-leaf angel murals and other furnishings from its own mother parish, St. John Cantius, which closed in 2007. The parish also displays images of saints of African/Black descent, a visual expression of its diverse, shared-parish identity.
- Small Romanesque-style church
- Rose-colored sanctuary walls
- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel statue and Infant of Prague (from OLMC, closed 2008)
- Gold-leaf angel murals (from St. John Cantius, closed 2007)
- Images of African/Black-descent saints
Devotions
First Fridays are a focus of devotion at Ss. Andrew & Benedict, combining Eucharistic Adoration and the Divine Mercy Devotion at 5:00 PM. The Sunday Rosary at 11:00 AM precedes the bilingual Mass and serves as the prayerful threshold to the parish's principal liturgy.
- Sunday Rosary — 11:00 AM
- First Friday Eucharistic Adoration — 5:00 PM
- First Friday Divine Mercy Devotion — 5:00 PM
Clustering & Families of Parishes
Ss. Andrew & Benedict was one of the flagship examples of the Archdiocese of Detroit's Families of Parishes and shared-parishes model. In fall 2019 it was clustered with St. André Bessette (Ecorse) and St. Mary Magdalen (Melvindale) under Fr. Cornelius Okeke, with Fr. Paul Onyebuchi assisting and Fr. John Sullivan in residence at St. Mary Magdalen. In 2021 Fr. Timothy Birney was named moderator of the In Solidum team for Downriver Vicariate Family 1, which also includes Our Lady of the Angels (Taylor), St. Alfred (Taylor), St. Constance (Taylor), and St. Frances Cabrini (Allen Park). The Archdiocese used Ss. Andrew & Benedict as a model for how parishes can welcome successive cultural communities without erasing earlier traditions.
- Clustered parishes: Ss. Andrew & Benedict (Detroit), St. Mary Magdalen (Melvindale), St. André Bessette (Ecorse)
- Downriver Vicariate Family 1 also includes Our Lady of the Angels, St. Alfred, St. Constance (Taylor), and St. Frances Cabrini (Allen Park)
- Fr. Cornelius Okeke — pastor of the cluster from fall 2019
- Fr. Timothy Birney — moderator, In Solidum team, from July 1, 2021
Merger into St. André Bessette (2024)
On January 23, 2024, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron issued two decrees concerning Ss. Andrew & Benedict: the first merged the parish into St. André Bessette Parish in Ecorse, and the second relegated the Ss. Andrew & Benedict church building to secular but not unbecoming use. Both decrees took effect July 14, 2024, ending the parish's 100-year independent history. Sacramental records from 1924–2024 are held at St. André Bessette in Ecorse.
- Decree date: January 23, 2024
- Effective date: July 14, 2024
- Records transferred to: St. André Bessette, Ecorse
- Building status: relegated to secular but not unbecoming use
Outreach: Perry Outreach Center
The Perry Outreach Center, located in southwest Detroit, functions as the combined charitable and community-service arm of the clustered parishes — Ss. Andrew & Benedict, St. Mary Magdalen, St. André Bessette, and Christ the Good Shepherd in Lincoln Park. Parishioner Randall Mosley, identified as Director of the Perry Outreach Center at a 2019 reception, has spoken publicly about how the parish 'serves the neighborhood' through this shared ministry.
- Perry Outreach Center (SW Detroit)
- Serves the three clustered parishes plus Christ the Good Shepherd, Lincoln Park
- Director (as of 2019): Randall Mosley
Becoming Catholic (RCIA / OCIA)
Ss. Andrew & Benedict is listed as offering the RCIA / OCIA process for adults preparing to become Catholic, in keeping with its role as a bilingual, multicultural parish welcoming new members into the Church.
- RCIA / OCIA (Becoming Catholic) — adult initiation
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at (313) 381-1184, with fax (313) 788-8357 and email [email protected]. The shared website is https://smmssab.com/, with a dedicated Ss. Andrew & Benedict page at https://smmssab.com/ss-andrew-benedict/. The mailing address is 2430 South Beatrice Street, Detroit, MI 48217. As of 2024, sacramental and parish services are continued through the merged St. André Bessette Parish in Ecorse.
- Phone: (313) 381-1184
- Fax: (313) 788-8357
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://smmssab.com/
- Ss. Andrew & Benedict page: https://smmssab.com/ss-andrew-benedict/
- Address: 2430 South Beatrice St., Detroit, MI 48217
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Ed Zaorski
Former pastor credited with intentionally welcoming the parish's growing Hispanic membership and including newcomers in parish planning and activities
- Fr. Cornelius Okeke2019–
Named pastor in fall 2019 across three clustered parishes: Ss. Andrew & Benedict (Detroit), St. Mary Magdalen (Melvindale), and St. André Bessette (Ecorse)
- Fr. Timothy Birney2021–2024
Appointed March 1, 2021 as moderator of the In Solidum team leading the Downriver Vicariate Family 1; oversaw the cluster through the 2024 merger