New 12-acre campus allows priests, staff and donors to gather in single location, host events to support overseas missions
FARMINGTON HILLS — After 40 years on Quincy Street in Detroit, the PIME U.S. Mission Center has moved to a sprawling 12 acres in Farmington Hills.
PIME (the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions) is a society of apostolic life of priests and religious missionaries that formed in Italy 170 years ago. Though PIME missionaries have been present in the United States for more than 75 years, it was Detroit Cardinal Edward A. Mooney who invited PIME leaders to open the society's U.S. center in Detroit in 1947. Cardinal Mooney was familiar with PIME missions in Bangladesh after spending time there.
The PIME missionaries began their Detroit base out of San Francesco Church, which at the time was located within the city.
“We (the staff) love being here,” said Michelle Regner, administrator for the PIME U.S. Mission Center. “We feel closer to PIME because we (priests and staff) are all here, and it’s easier to communicate with everyone.”
In recent years, the priests' residences were scattered throughout the Metro area. The society's original Detroit seminary, which housed 27 residence rooms, was sold to the Companions of the Cross in 2019.
The acquisition of the Farmington Hills property now allows for PIME priests' residences and the U.S. Mission Center at a single site, along with a social hall, offices, chapel and ministry center on the same grounds. “We are all closer together and we have had donors drop by,” Regner added.
The Farmington Hills campus offers a serene environment with deer and other animals gracing the grounds.
“It helps you center yourself and it’s much more peaceful when you walk into the office,” Regner said.
The property, located on West 10 Mile Road, was recently purchased from the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters. There are two convents on the property, and the sisters are now leasing one building from PIME.
“Here we have everything we need,” Fr. Daniele Criscione, PIME, director of the U.S. Missions Center, told Detroit Catholic.
Six PIME priests moved into their new residences in December, and in May the offices relocated. There is also space for priests to stay at the Mission Center to learn English as they transition to other missionary locations throughout the world, such as Thailand and Hong Kong.
In addition to overseeing the PIME U.S. Mission Center, Fr. Criscione supervises mission projects in 20 countries. He said his job is to raise awareness for the needs in each mission and to promote events that help raise funds for those missions.
“My brothers who work in those 20 countries need a lot to support the missions,” Fr. Criscione said.
After selling the Detroit location, PIME's U.S. Mission Center cut its operating expenses and will now be able to use more for the missions, Fr. Criscione added.
“This way we don’t have all the expenses to maintain the big building; we have more money to send to the missions,” he said. “Two years ago, for the first time, we were able to send $1 million, and in 2023 we raised $1.1 million, and this year we hope to raise $1.2 million.”
Fundraising is key to the mission center, and Regner added the move to the Farmington Hills campus will open more possibilities.
The society also plans to line the hallways to showcase photos of “the many faces of PIME” missions.
“We see (the missionaries) here as a staff, and we want to share that with our supporters and donors so they can get a real feel for how PIME is, and how we are helping people all over the world,” Regner said.
The new PIME U.S. Mission Center will begin to host events at its new location once the 55-spot visitor parking lot is completed.
“We have a chapel that can seat 60 people and a social hall so we can host events once we get our parking lot set up,” Fr. Criscione said.
He also hopes to one day hosts retreats and his popular Bible studies there, as well as host more in-person events.
“We want to give the opportunity to be a place where people can come to get a break,” Fr. Criscione said.
Regner agreed, stating the new small but welcoming gathering spaces will create more personal connections with donors and supporters.
“We are looking for the opportunity to gather people here at the PIME Center, where we can be closer to the Metro Detroit community,” she said.
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