ST.
Perpetua Parish Celebrates 40th Anniversary!
June 2004
The History of St. Perpetua's Parish
St. Perpetua Catholic
Church
A Moment in Time in History - A Bright Future Ahead with the Lord
By Tom Gorzenski
St. Perpetua Catholic Church contains a rich and vibrant history. This history
is full of dedicated people all serving the Lord through one another, which
continues today.
During the period of time of the founding of St. Perpetua Catholic Church, there
were many historical moments including the assassination of President John F.
Kennedy, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and Vatican II. The year
1964 will be remembered by the parishioners of St. Perpetua parish as the
beginning of an enriching faith building and holy relationship with the Lord and
each other through the founding of a parish.
St. Perpetua Parish was established by Archbishop John f. Dearden on June 24,
1964.
The first Mass at the parish took place on June 28, 1964 at Pierce Junior High
School. This school served as a temporary location for Mass until a permanent
church was constructed in late 1964. Mass was held at 7:15 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
on Sundays. Baptisms and weddings were held at St. Benedict Catholic Church in
Pontiac, Michigan.
"The Mass was in the auditorium and all the chairs were set up", remembers Jane
Niemenski, a charter member of St. Perpetua parish.
"It was fine. It was no problem. We knew we were getting a new church so we
were happy with it", said Yvette Heitzeg, another parish charter member.
While many of the original members came from surrounding parishes, most came
from St. Benedict Church in Pontiac. While attending St. Benedict's, many
parishioners were invited to join the parish of St. Perpetua.
St. Perpetua's first pastor was Father Bernard J. Zaglaniczny. Fr. Ben arrived
from St. Mark's parish in Warren in 1964. Because there was no permanent
residence, Fr. Ben stayed at St. Benedict's rectory. With the goal of having a
church and facilities, an eleven acre site was established near the corner of
Airport and Elizabeth Lake Roads. "It was part of the real estate purchased by
the Archdiocese of Detroit", said charter member Joe Drapek.
The groundbreaking and blessing of the parish site took place on July 26, 1964.
In surprisingly only five months, the first church was constructed. It was
never meant to be permanent. "There was more than one church built with this
architecture," said Joe Drapek. "There was one in Walled Lake, Milford and
South Lyon with the same plan."
The dedication of the first church took place on December 19, 1964. Present at
the ceremony were the Archbishop of Detroit, John F. Dearden, Fr. Ben and Fr.
Stanley E. Milewski, procurator of St. Mary's College in Orchard Lake.
According to Joe Drapek, the rectory was built above a spring, which resulted in
the basement flooding occasionally. To address the flooding issue, a hole was
dug behind the rectory and piping installed from the rectory basement, resulting
in the present day pond.
Large evergreens on the grounds of the parish were planted shortly after the
church was constructed, through the generous efforts of Joe Drapek, Stan Steck,
and Casper Tarchalski. Later, Joe Schaad and his sons, Joe and Mike contributed
generously by planting more trees on the parish grounds.
The original church served parishioners for more than nineteen years. In the
early years, there were 305 families within the parish. The church had a
seating capacity for 504 people. The altar was black with brushed aluminum
furnishings and the sanctuary carpeting was red tinged with black. The total
cost of the church was $300,000.
The founding of a parish resulted in the establishment of many programs. One of
the first was a catechism program started by Fr. Ben and Sister Pius of the
Oxford Dominican Order. Classes were held Saturday mornings at Della Lutes and
Riverside schools. Early catechism teachers were Carol Morris, Bill and Annie
Archambeau, Bill and Mary Sue Dean, Paul Wilhelm, Gen Block, Ann Buelter and
Sharon Holler.
Other early programs and social events at St. Perpetua parish included the
Rosary Altar Society and the Ushers Club. The Teen Club and Men's Club soon
followed. The Christmas Bazaar and the always popular and well-attended parish
festival also began in the mid 60's. Jane Niemenski pointed out that the
festival was started one year after the church was built and was held on a
Sunday afternoon every year for several years.
Programs and social events are important to the life of a parish. However, no
parish would be complete without a parish council. In 1969, the first parish
council of St. Perpetua consisted of William Dean Jr., president, Joe Drapek,
president-elect and Estele Trudell, secretary. The parish council members were
chosen through an election process and the results announced to the parish
assembly. In six short years, St. Perpetua parish was on its way to becoming an
established and seasoned parish.
In 1971, Fr. Ben celebrated his 25th anniversary in the priesthood. He resigned
as pastor in 1973, turning over his duties to Fr. Christopher Leahy and Fr.
Valerian Jasinski. Fr. Leahy became interim pastor until 1974.
St. Perpetua received its second permanent pastor with the appointment of Fr.
John R. German in 1974. Fr. John had been a priest for ten years when he
arrived. He was previously an assistant to Fr. Jerome Krieg at St. Athanasius
parish in Roseville, Michigan. Fr. John was well liked by the parishioners. He
had a listening ear and an outstanding memory. Fr. John believed the parish
belonged to the people and loved to see parishioners involved in church
activities.
The parish celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1974 and more events and programs
were established. These included the Holy Thursday potluck supper and the
communal Penance services. That same year, Sr. Margaret James arrived from St.
Clair Shores as Religious Education Coordinator. Following coordinators were
Sr. Charlotte Potter (1979-85), Howard Whitehouse, (1985-87) Rita Senseman
(1987-88), Joe Leddy and Dolores Budnik (1988-97), and Bonnie Banaszek, current
Religious Education Director.
In 1975, the Senior Citizen Group was founded, currently known as the 50-Up
Club. The purpose of this group was to give senior citizens a chance to meet
for activities and socializing. Membership was open to all seniors, regardless
of creed or parish membership.
Sr. Mary Schmidlin arrived as Pastoral Assistant in 1976 and remained until
1988. The duties and responsibilities of this position included conducting
prayer services, coordinating programs and helping with funeral preparations.
During this time, John and Carleen Ward led the parish Youth Group. A special
Communal Anointing of the Sick Mass offering special prayers and blessings for
the ill and/or elderly was initiated in 1976.
The first parish Red Cross blood drive was begun in 1977. Coffee and donuts
were also enjoyed on a regular basis after Mass at this time. The following
year, the Oxford Benedictine monks, including Fr. Nic Pitzen, joined the parish
staff as weekend help, and the Lenten Eucharistic Day was launched.
In 1979, girls began joining the altar boys as Mass helpers, now known as altar
servers. The Jail Ministry program and Summer Garden Vegetable Exchange were
also started. Joe Drapek told how parishioners used to bring in vegetables such
as tomatoes, cucumbers and squash and put them on a table for anyone who wanted
them.
Early programs begun in the 1980s were the Marriage Anniversary Mass and
Breakfast, Immediate Action Fund, Clothing Drive and Sale, Las Vegas Nights and
the Soup Kitchen.
The parish grew in size from 305 in 1964 to 900 in 1983. With the increasing
numbers, it became apparent that the original church could no longer meet the
needs of the parish. Therefore, Fr. German and the Planning Commission
spearheaded the planning process for a new church. At first, renovation of the
existing church was considered. However, after meeting with the architect, Rex
Reichenbach, it was decided that construction of a new church would be more
practical. Construction of a new building was estimated to cost only $100,000
more than the cost of renovation.
To finance the project of a new church, it was determined that a fundraiser was
necessary, with a projected goal of $275,000. A fundraising committee, chaired
by Howard Heitzeg and Tom Marcero was formed. The parish also sought the help
of a professional fundraising group, McCarthy & Assistants. The fundraising
effort was an overwhelming success, with the goal of $275,000 met and
surpassed. With the construction plan and financing in place, the Diocesan
board gave final approval for the new church.
Rex Reichenbach was not only the architect and general contractor for the
project, but also worked at carpentry and masonry. Many volunteers participated
in the construction from installing insulation to hauling away debris.
Special features of the new church included the architectural prominence of
octagonal and hexagonal shapes throughout the church and stained glass windows
depicting the four seasons of the year. Each window has a dominant color
representing a different season.
The dedication of the new church took place on July 16, 1983 with Bishop Melczek
and Fr. John German presiding.
After the new church was constructed, the renovation of the social hall, kitchen
and chapel followed. Altogether, the church and landscaping were five years in
the making.
As the parish continued to grow, more activities took place. In 1988, 570
balloons were launched after Pentecost Masses. The message, "Our Spirit of Love
Reaches Out to Touch You" was included in each balloon as well as personal
messages by some parishioners. Replies to the launched balloons were received
as from locations as far away as Windsor, Ontario and Ohio, thanking the parish
for the message of God's love and support.
The 25th Silver Anniversary of the parish in 1988 was celebrated with many
special events throughout the year. A Mass celebrated by Bishop Melszek and Fr.
German began the yearlong celebration. Anniversary events included a Halloween
costume party in October, decorating a Christmas tree with silver ornaments in
December and an ice cream social featuring memories of the early years. The
anniversary year concluded with Mass and an elegant catered dinner for
parishioners, including a strolling violinist to serenade the diners.
The late 1980s were a sad time for the parish. Fr. John German after battling
cancer for 20 months was growing increasingly weak. After his long illness, Fr.
John died on July 26, 1988.
Fr. Maurice Decker arrived in October, 1988, becoming the parish's third
pastor. He came from St. Christine parish in Detroit and served as pastor of
St. Perpetua for two years until his retirement in September of 1990.
Other changes in the parish during this period included the departure of Sr.
Mary Schmidlin who was replaced by Sister Rosemary Cassar, I.H.M. as Pastoral
Assistant. Sister Rosemary remained from 1989 to 1990. Also at this time,
Cindy Panasiewicz coordinated and directed the Youth Group.
The parish's fourth pastor was Fr. Ronald Sayes who joined the parish in
September, 1990. Born in Detroit in 1932 and ordained a priest in 1957, Fr.
Sayes previously served as pastor at Sts. John and Paul parish in Washington
Township, Michigan before joining St. Perpetua parish. Noted for his beautiful
singing voice, Fr. Sayes remained as pastor until his retirement on May 14,
1995.
The early 1990s brought more staff changes. Sister Beatrice Zawisza, a
Franciscan from Sylvania, Ohio joined the pastoral team as the new Christian
Service Coordinator, replacing Patricia Kline. Deacon Frank DeSmedt became the
new Pastoral Assistant from 1991-1992. Michael Marcum followed Cindy
Panasiewicz as the new Youth Group director. Patricia Oliver, current Youth
Group Director, took that position in 1995.
With the transfer of Fr. Sayes, Fr. Walter Stanevich, a retired priest, filled
the position as temporary pastor for six weeks.
St. Perpetua parish welcomed Fr. Richard Rakoczy on July 1, 1995 as its fifth
and current pastor. Fr. Richard was born in River Rouge in 1933 and ordained a
priest in 1959. Among the parishes he served prior to St. Perpetua were St.
Clement Parish, Dearborn and St. Patrick Parish in Carleton. Fr. Richard also
served as chaplain for the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Allen
park.
Christian Service Coordinator, Sr. Beatrice left St. Perpetua Parish in August
of 1995 to accept a position at Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington. She was the
last full time nun on the parish staff. Sr. Beatrice was followed in this
position by Dorothy Daly and then Mary Kay Allman, the current Christian Service
Coordinator.
St. Perpetua parish has benefited from dedicated and generous parishioners. In
1995, Benedict Evola donated a digital electronic piano for the use of the music
ministry. A group of parishioners established a fund to purchase the nativity
set that is displayed every Christmas in the church.
Another significant donation was the installation of the bells in the steeple
tower of the church. The largest bell was mainly funded from the parish's
participation in the CSA campaign. The family of Frances Malek and Karol and
Kay Staszkiewicz donated the second and third bells.
The bells were blessed by Bishop Britt on September 7, 1997. The largest bell
was dedicated in honor of St. Mary, the middle bell in honor of St. Joseph and
the smallest bell in honor of St. Felicity, the servant of St. Perpetua who died
with her in the Roman Coliseum. The bells are programmed to ring one minute
before Mass and every day at 12:00 noon and 6:00 p.m. The combined weight of the
three bells is approximately 2400 pounds with the largest bell weighing 1500
pounds.
Mr. And Mrs. Steven Cloonan donated the large outdoor crucifix on the north side
of the church. The Madonna Book Store donated the statue of St. Perpetua in
1964, the year of the founding of the parish.
In the late 1990s, Mr. Reichenbach, the original church architect, installed a
cabinet in the sacristy to hold the sacred vessels. The installation of
kneelers in the church was completed the same year.
The parish has grown in the 40 years since its founding, increasing from 305
families to over 1380 families today.
