Sweetest Heart of Mary begins campaign to repair historic stained-glass windows, roof

Mother of Divine Mercy Parish plans to start restoration work on 101 stained-glass windows, slate roof this summer

DETROIT — For 130 years, Sweetest Heart of Mary Church has towered over the Forest Park neighborhood in east Detroit, serving as a safe new home for Polish immigrants, a worship space for a faithful congregation and now as a popular spot for Catholic weddings.

However, 130 years have taken a toll on the church's structure, and Mother of Divine Mercy Parish, which also includes St. Josaphat, has started a capital campaign to raise money to preserve the church by repairing the roof and historic stained-glass windows.

During a parish meeting following the 4 p.m. Mass on Saturday, March 4, Fr. Greg Tokarski, as well as members of the parish council and finance team, presented a restoration plan to parishioners.

The roof repairs will cost approximately $1.2 million alone, said Ed Burke, president of the parish finance council.

“We've known this project was coming for quite a long time,” Burke said. “Back when the actual parishes got together, the (archdiocese) did a survey looking at buildings. We knew at that time that the roof had outlasted its useful life. There have been repairs to it along the way, and as they have dealt with repairs, they found copper nails and steel nails — nothing that should have lasted more than 60 years, technically, and that's been out there for 130. So we are way past the expected life cycle.”

The roof is complicated, Burke explained, constructed with steep pitches and copper flashing. However, the parish is working with project manager Larry Wilk, who oversaw the parish's steeple restorations in 2018 and who is now interviewing contractors.

Additionally, the parish needs to have the project approved by the Detroit Historic Commission, Burke said. The 40,000-square-foot roof still has its original slate, he explained. When repairing the steeple, however, the commission gave the parish permission to use a composite shingle that looks the same as the original but will last longer.

The hope is to receive the same permission for the rest of the roof, Burke added.

In addition to the roof, the parish is raising money to restore its historic stained-glass windows, a project that can’t be fully undertaken until a secure roof is in place, Burke said.

While from far away, the church’s 101 windows still maintain their beauty and grandeur, upon close inspection, many are buckled, warped, cracked, or not sealing properly, said parish finance council member Brian McClory. Some panels on windows behind the high altar have already collapsed, he added.

The cost of individual window repairs varies from as low as $2,000 to $582,000 for the two large stained-glass windows on the east and west sides of the church, depicting the Holy Family and St. Valentine, the former of which won the first-place grand prize at the World's Fair in 1893.

While the parish has contributed money to the initial restoration, donations and pledges are needed, McClory said. Pledges have already come in, and the funds are going first toward the windows in direst need of repairs and to a few that were specifically pledged.

The parish's Knights of Columbus also offered to match up $10,000 of all donations given following the meeting, Burke said.

Restoration of the stained glass will be undertaken by Associated Crafts & Willet Hauser, a reputable stained-glass repair company with more than 100 years of experience. Work is expected to begin this summer, McClory said.

"When a window is restored, it will be photographed and mapped by the craftsmen from Willet Hauser,” McClory explained. “The individual panes are removed and shipped to the studios in Winona, Minnesota.”

The company will carefully wash, repair and reassemble the windows, using as much of the original material as possible.

Maintaining the roof and windows is important to the tight-knit parish community, many of whom faithfully travel from the suburbs every week for Mass, said parishioner and parish operations manager Marianne Peggie.

“Sweetest Heart of Mary was built by very poor Polish immigrants. They wanted the best of the best in honor of God in their new country because Poland did not even exist as a country when they came here,” Peggie said.

Peggie, who is Polish herself, said her grandparents were married at Sweetest Heart in January 1916. She became a parishioner in 2002.

“This is the oldest Polish church in Detroit, so we want to keep the history alive, the traditions alive,” Peggie told Detroit Catholic. “We have a huge volunteer base that keeps the church open. Everyone who is here wants to be here. I think that makes it a really special place.”

Fr. Tokarski said the campaign to support the repairs is the start of a new chapter for the parish.

“This building is beautiful, but we need to keep this building beautiful for the generations to come,” Fr Tokarski said. “What makes it special and unique are these stained-glass windows.”

The roof not only provides safety and shelter and a feeling of home, but also gives the faithful of the parish a place to take care of their spiritual lives, Fr. Tokarski added.

“When I think about the roof of our church, it reminds me of the words we say before Communion: 'Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.' The Lord is here in this tabernacle. He is under this roof, and he is always in our hearts."