About St. Ladislaus · Hamtramck, Michigan
St. Ladislaus was a Roman Catholic parish in Hamtramck, Michigan, founded in 1920 to serve the Polish community that had migrated north of St. Florian Parish during the auto industry's boom. It operated for nearly a century as a cornerstone of Polish Catholic life in Hamtramck — opening schools, a high school, and ultimately a striking 1953 church designed by architect Arthur Des Rosier. In 2012 the parish merged into what became St. John Paul II Parish; in 2016 the building was transferred to neighboring St. Florian Parish and operated as a chapel. After the pandemic the chapel could no longer be sustained, and Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron issued a decree on June 15, 2024, relegating St. Ladislaus Church to secular use effective July 1, 2024, with a final Mass celebrated on June 29, 2024.
- Established
- 1920
- Patron
- St. Ladislaus (Blessed Ladislaus of Gielniow)
- Rector
- Rev. Tomasz Pietrzak, S.Chr. (pastor of St. Florian Parish, which administered St. Ladislaus as a chapel at the time of its closure in 2024)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit
Why belong here
St. Ladislaus was, for nearly a century, the spiritual home of Hamtramck's Polish Catholic community north of St. Florian, offering Mass in English and Polish (and, in its later years as a chapel, also Spanish), an elementary school and the city's first Catholic high school, and a striking 1953 church with notable stained glass. Even after its 2012 merger into St. John Paul II Parish and its 2016 transfer to St. Florian Parish, parishioners who worshipped at the Caniff Avenue site were known for organizing to keep their beloved chapel open with weekend Masses as long as its finances allowed.
Mass times at St. Ladislaus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays: 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
- 30 minutes before each Mass (weekdays)
History of St. Ladislaus Parish
St. Ladislaus Parish was founded on September 25, 1920, as the third Polish Catholic parish in Hamtramck, organized to serve the Polish immigrants who had settled north of St. Florian Parish during the auto-industry boom. Bishop Michael J. Gallagher issued the decree placing the community under the patronage of St. Ladislaus in February 1921, and 300 pioneer families first gathered for Mass in Eckert's Hall on Caniff and Jos. Campau Avenues. Under its second pastor, Father Anthony Aloysius Majewski, the parish built its first wooden church (1922), its first school (1924), a brick church-school building (1929), and in 1935 opened Hamtramck's first four-year Catholic high school. The current church was completed in 1953.
- Founded September 25, 1920 by Fr. Boleslaus Gdaniec
- Formal decree of patronage issued February 1921 by Bishop Michael J. Gallagher
- First Masses held in Eckert's Hall at Caniff and Jos. Campau
- First school building erected 1924 (enrollment ~1,500)
- Brick church-school built 1929 at Caniff and Brombach
- First four-year Catholic high school in Hamtramck opened 1935
Mergers and Final Years
After the high school closed in 1982 and the elementary school in 1992, St. Ladislaus merged on January 1, 2012 with Transfiguration/Our Lady Help of Christians and St. Louis the King parishes to form Blessed (later St.) John Paul II Parish with three worship sites. In 2014 St. John Paul II announced the closure of St. Ladislaus and St. Louis the King, but former parishioners organized and the site was kept open. In June 2016 the property was donated to neighboring St. Florian Parish, whose pastor Fr. Mirosław Frankowski, S.Chr. assumed pastoral care. After the pandemic, declining Mass attendance and collections combined with mounting repair needs led Fr. Tomasz Pietrzak, S.Chr. to request closure in 2024; Archbishop Vigneron's decree of June 15, 2024 relegated the church to secular use effective July 1, 2024.
- High School closed June 1982; elementary closed 1992
- Merged into St. John Paul II Parish on January 1, 2012
- St. Louis the King worship site closed in 2014
- Building donated to St. Florian Parish in June 2016
- Final Mass celebrated June 29, 2024 at 4:00 PM
The Church Building (1953)
The present St. Ladislaus Church was designed by Detroit architect Arthur Des Rosier, ground was broken on June 29, 1952, and the building was completed in 1953. The interior is particularly noted for its stained-glass windows, whose bright geometric perimeter frames realistic Gospel imagery in the center of each lancet.
- Architect: Arthur Des Rosier
- Ground broken: June 29, 1952
- Completed: 1953
- Stained glass: geometric borders with realistic Gospel centers
Clergy and Pastoral Succession
The parish was organized in 1919–1920 by the Rev. Francis Baweja (briefly) and then formally established under Rev. Boleslaus Gdaniec. The long-tenured Rev. Anthony Aloysius Majewski built virtually every major parish institution between 1922 and 1958. After the 2016 transfer to St. Florian Parish, pastoral care was provided by Fr. Mirosław Frankowski, S.Chr. and then Fr. Tomasz Pietrzak, S.Chr.
- Rev. Francis Baweja — initially assigned, May 1919
- Rev. Boleslaus Gdaniec — September 25, 1920 to March 24, 1922
- Rev. Anthony Aloysius Majewski — March 30, 1922 to c. 1958 (36+ years)
- Rev. Mirosław Frankowski, S.Chr. — assumed care 2016
- Rev. Tomasz Pietrzak, S.Chr. — pastor at time of 2024 closure
Schools and Religious Education
The parish opened a school under the direction of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio in 1921, with Sister Bernadette as first principal. A two-year commercial high school opened in 1929, expanded to three years in 1934, and became Hamtramck's first four-year Catholic high school in 1935 under Father Majewski and Sister Aloysius, graduating its first sixteen seniors in 1936. St. Ladislaus High School closed in June 1982, and the elementary school closed a decade later in 1992 amid declining enrollment.
- First school in Eckert's Hall under the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio (1921)
- Two-year commercial high school opened 1929
- Four-year program established 1935 — first in Hamtramck
- High School closed June 1982; Elementary closed 1992
Languages and Community
St. Ladislaus was founded to serve Polish immigrants and remained a center of Polish Catholic life in Hamtramck for a century. Masses were offered in Polish and English, and in the chapel's final years a Spanish-language Mass was also part of the schedule. Sacramental registers and parish bulletins were likewise multilingual.
- English
- Polish
- Spanish (in later chapel years)
Location and Contact
St. Ladislaus stood at 2730 Caniff Avenue in Hamtramck, Michigan, just west of Jos. Campau Avenue. After its 2016 transfer, sacramental records and inquiries were handled through St. Florian Parish offices.
- Address: 2730 Caniff Avenue, Hamtramck, MI 48212
- Phone: (313) 871-2778
- Parish office e-mail (St. Florian): [email protected]
- Website (St. Florian): http://www.stflorianparish.org/
Patron Saint — Blessed Ladislaus of Gielniow
The parish is named for Blessed Ladislaus of Gielniow (c. 1442–1505), a Lithuanian Franciscan friar who preached extensively in Poland and is honored as a patron of Poland and Lithuania — not for the more famous King Ladislaus I of Hungary. His feast day is celebrated on November 4.
- Patron: Blessed Ladislaus of Gielniow
- Feast day: November 4
- Patronage: Poland and Lithuania
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Francis BawejaMay 1919
Initially assigned to organize the parish; received a commitment to another parish several weeks later in May 1919.
- Rev. Boleslaus GdaniecSeptember 25, 1920 – March 24, 1922
Appointed to organize St. Ladislaus as a new parish; transferred due to failing health.
- Rev. Anthony Aloysius MajewskiMarch 30, 1922 – c. 1958
Built the first church (consecrated 1922), the first school building (1924), the brick church-school building (1929), and Hamtramck's first four-year Catholic high school (1935); served thirty-six years and five months.