About St. Josaphat · Detroit, Michigan
St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church is a historic Polish-heritage Catholic church located at 715 East Canfield Street in Detroit, Michigan, just east of I-75. Founded in 1889 as a daughter parish of St. Albertus to serve Detroit's growing Polish community, the present Victorian Romanesque and Gothic Revival church opened in 1901 and was designed by architects Joseph G. Kastler and William E. N. Hunter. Since July 1, 2013 it has been one of two worship sites (along with Sweetest Heart of Mary) of Mother of Divine Mercy Parish in the Archdiocese of Detroit, currently pastored by Fr. Gregory (Greg) Tokarski. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1982) and designated a Michigan State Historic Site (1985).
- Established
- 1889
- Patron
- St. Josaphat Kuntsevych (c. 1580 – November 12, 1623), Ukrainian/Ruthenian Greek Catholic archbishop of Polotsk, bishop and martyr, canonized 1867
- Rector
- Fr. Gregory (Greg) Tokarski
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit
Why belong here
St. Josaphat offers parishioners a rare combination: a 1901 National Register landmark church alive with active parish life, the traditional Latin Mass restored to the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2004 (originated here), and the warmth of a small historic Polish-heritage community in Detroit's Polonia corridor. Worshippers find a full devotional life — the perpetual Thursday novena to Our Lady of Częstochowa (Black Madonna), Sunday devotions to St. Philomena, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Sacred Heart novena, and Stations of the Cross in Lent — alongside Sunday Mass, weekday Mass, and regular confessions. Joining or visiting means joining a tightly-knit congregation that has literally rebuilt its 200-foot steeple and continues to restore and reuse a piece of Detroit's sacred heritage.
Mass times at St. Josaphat
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Approximately 30 minutes before each Mass (parish-wide practice at Mother of Divine Mercy Parish)
About St. Josaphat Church
St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church is a historic Polish-heritage church at 715 East Canfield Street on Detroit's east side, just east of I-75. Founded in 1889 as a daughter parish of St. Albertus and built in its present form in 1901, it has served Detroit's Polish community for more than 130 years. Since 2013 it has been one of two worship sites of Mother of Divine Mercy Parish under the Archdiocese of Detroit, with Fr. Gregory Tokarski as pastor and Deacon Joe Lennon assisting.
- Founded: June 1, 1889
- Current church opened: 1901
- Listed on National Register of Historic Places: December 8, 1982
- Michigan State Historic Site: 1985
- Pastor: Fr. Gregory (Greg) Tokarski
- Deacon: Joe Lennon
Parish History
St. Josaphat began on June 1, 1889 when land west of the railroad tracks was donated for a new Polish parish to relieve overcrowding at St. Albertus. The first building — a combination church and school staffed by Polish Felician Sisters — was dedicated on February 2, 1890. Under Fr. Razadkowski the parish grew to over 1,000 families and built the current church (1901), rectory and janitor's home; a school followed in the 1920s. By 1960 the surrounding Polish community had largely dispersed to the suburbs, the school closed, and the building aged. Pastor Fr. Francis Dolot's 1960s restoration preserved the historic character and led to its Michigan and National Historic Site listings.
- 1889 — Parish established (June 1) as a daughter of St. Albertus
- 1890 — First building dedicated February 2 (church-school)
- 1901 — Present church, rectory and janitor's home opened under Fr. Razadkowski
- 1920s — School built
- 1960s — Fr. Francis Dolot's restoration; parish earned Historic Site status
- 2003 — Fr. Mark Borkowski begins new restoration; perpetual Our Lady of Częstochowa novena instituted
- 2004 — First regular Tridentine Latin Mass in the Archdiocese of Detroit since Vatican II launched here
- Nov 2013 – Sept 2014 — 200-ft steeple damaged by storm, repaired, church reopens September 13, 2014 with Mass by Auxiliary Bishop Francis Reiss
- July 1, 2013 — Merged into newly created Mother of Divine Mercy Parish
- Oct 2016 — St. Joseph separated to become St. Joseph Oratory (Institute of Christ the King)
Architecture & Historic Designations
The church is a striking Victorian Romanesque Revival and Gothic Revival building designed by architects Joseph G. Kastler and William E. N. Hunter and built by the Jermolowicz Brothers with local carpenters Harcus and Lang. The exterior combines red and orange brick with extensive Bedford Indiana buff limestone trim, and the stained-glass windows depicting Mary, Joseph and the twelve apostles were made by the Detroit Stained Glass Works. The interior features five altars, white-oak woodwork and an extensive collection of wall murals.
- Architects: Joseph G. Kastler and William E. N. Hunter
- Builder: Jermolowicz Brothers with Harcus and Lang
- Dimensions: 132 × 56 feet; 65-foot ceiling; capacity 1,100
- Main steeple: 200 feet; two side steeples each 100 feet
- Materials: red and orange brick, Bedford Indiana buff limestone
- Stained glass by Detroit Stained Glass Works
- Interior: five altars, white-oak woodwork, wall murals
- Main altar painting depicts St. Josaphat in eastern-rite bishop's vestments
Interior Altars & Art
Five altars anchor the sanctuary of St. Josaphat. The high altar bears a painting of the parish's patron, St. Josaphat Kuntsevych, dressed in the vestments of an eastern-rite bishop — a tribute to his Ruthenian/Ukrainian heritage. Side altars are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph; in the transept stand altars to St. Anthony of Padua and St. Francis of Assisi. The West Transept altar is the original main altar of the first 1890 church-school (known as the St. Anthony Altar in the 20th century and now the St. Casimir Altar).
Devotions & Spiritual Life
St. Josaphat is notable for the depth of its devotional life, much of it tied to its Polish Catholic heritage and to the legacy of its 2003–2004 restoration under Fr. Mark Borkowski. The perpetual Thursday novena to Our Lady of Częstochowa (the Black Madonna) is offered after the noon Mass, a devotion Fr. Borkowski instituted and credited with the church's continued survival. Sunday devotions to St. Philomena are held after the noon Mass on the last Sunday of each month, and the parish also keeps the External Solemnity of St. Josaphat with veneration of the saint's relic.
- Perpetual Novena to Our Lady of Częstochowa (Black Madonna) — Thursdays after noon Mass
- Devotions to St. Philomena — last Sunday of each month after noon Mass
- Divine Mercy Chaplet — day after first Saturday of each month, after Mass
- Sacred Heart Novena — Fridays after noon Mass (at Sweetest Heart of Mary)
- Stations of the Cross — Fridays in Lent, 6:00 PM
- External Solemnity of St. Josaphat — annual, with veneration of the relic of St. Josaphat
Parish Staff & Leadership
Mother of Divine Mercy Parish is led by Fr. Gregory (Greg) Tokarski, who became pastor effective July 1, 2013 — the day the merged parish was created. He is assisted by Deacon Joe Lennon. The Pastoral Council is chaired by Anthony Ziebron. Visiting clergy have included Fr. Jim Lowe, CC (chaplain at Wayne State University), who concelebrated the 2015 Detroit Mass Mob Mass at St. Josaphat.
- Pastor — Fr. Gregory (Greg) Tokarski (since July 1, 2013)
- Deacon — Joe Lennon
- Pastoral Council President — Anthony Ziebron
- Parish Office — 4440 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48207
Mother of Divine Mercy Parish
Mother of Divine Mercy Parish was canonically erected on July 1, 2013 by decree of Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, merging the historic Polish-heritage parishes of St. Josaphat (Canfield at I-75), Sweetest Heart of Mary (Russell Street) and St. Joseph. St. Joseph was separated from the parish in October 2016 when the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest began ministry there and it became St. Joseph Oratory. St. Josaphat and Sweetest Heart of Mary remain the two worship sites of Mother of Divine Mercy Parish; both churches display the image of the Divine Mercy, reflecting the parish's patroness. The parish takes its name from St. Pope John Paul II's establishment of Divine Mercy Sunday as a universal feast during the Jubilee Year 2000.
- Founded: July 1, 2013 by decree of Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron
- Sister church: Sweetest Heart of Mary (4440 Russell Street)
- Former member: St. Joseph (now St. Joseph Oratory under the Institute of Christ the King, since October 2016)
- Patroness: Mother of Divine Mercy; both churches display the Divine Mercy image
Music & Liturgy
The parish's liturgical music is supported by the Schola Cantorum, a traditional choir that sang at the 2015 Detroit Mass Mob Mass at St. Josaphat. From 2004 to 2016 St. Josaphat hosted the Archdiocese of Detroit's only regular Tridentine (Extraordinary Form) Latin Mass, with Mass celebrated ad orientem and accompanied by the Schola. Portions of the current Sunday 12:00 PM Mass remain in Latin.
- Schola Cantorum — parish traditional choir
- Latin Mass heritage — regular Tridentine Mass celebrated here 2004–2016 (first in the Archdiocese of Detroit since Vatican II)
- Sunday 12:00 PM Mass includes portions in Latin
Restoration & Preservation Milestones
St. Josaphat's existence today is the result of three major preservation campaigns. Fr. Francis Dolot's 1960s restoration earned the building its place on the National Register of Historic Places and as a Michigan State Historic Site. Fr. Mark Borkowski's 2003 restoration program included a perpetual novena to Our Lady of Częstochowa and the launch of the Tridentine Latin Mass in 2004. After the November 2013 storm destroyed the main 200-foot steeple, ten months of fundraising and construction work restored it; the church reopened on September 13, 2014 at a Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Francis Reiss and covered by the Detroit Free Press, The Michigan Catholic and the May 2015 issue of CAM Magazine.
- 1960s — Fr. Dolot restoration; NRHP listing (1982), MSHS (1985)
- 2003 — Fr. Borkowski restoration; perpetual Our Lady of Częstochowa novena
- 2004 — First regular Tridentine Latin Mass in the Archdiocese of Detroit since Vatican II
- 2013 — Steeple destroyed by storm (November); campaign to rebuild
- 2014 — Steeple restored; church reopens September 13 with Bishop Francis Reiss
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Razadkowskicirca late 1890s – early 1900s
Grew the parish to over 1,000 families and raised funds to build the present church, which opened in 1901 with a rectory and janitor's home.
- Fr. Francis Dolot1960s
Led an extensive restoration in lieu of modernization; his pastorate culminated in the parish's listing as a Michigan and National Historic Site.
- Fr. Mark Borkowski (Administrator)2003 –
Began a new round of restoration, attributed the church's longevity to the intercession of Our Lady of Częstochowa, and instituted a perpetual Thursday novena to her after the noon Mass. Oversaw introduction of a regular Tridentine Latin Mass in 2004.
- Fr. Gregory Tokarski2013 – present
Effective July 1, 2013; first pastor of the merged Mother of Divine Mercy Parish. Celebrated the 2014 reopening Mass after the steeple restoration.