Erie's St. Joseph Catholic Church third-oldest parish in Archdiocese of Detroit

Tom Adamich
Updated ·3 min read
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ERIE — Of the many historic structures that survive in Monroe County, few have as storied of a history as the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Erie.

Currently the third-oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Detroit and second-oldest parish in Monroe County, the St. Joseph parish honors the French-Canadian settlers of Bay Creek, who, in 1790, settled on the shores of Maumee Bay near Lake Erie, where vast forests of walnut trees were cleared to form the settlement.

This is the Blessed Mother altar at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Erie. Mary is shown holding the rosary, as praying the rosary is dedicated to her.
This is the Blessed Mother altar at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Erie. Mary is shown holding the rosary, as praying the rosary is dedicated to her.

Their missionary church — named St. Joseph de la Baie Miami (St. Joseph of Bay Miami) — consisted of a log structure built in 1819 where Mass was said until that structure was replaced in 1826 by wood-framed building located on the south shore of Bay Creek near the lake. The current brick building, located east of South Dixie Highway at 2214 Manhattan Street, was built in 1851. Bay Creek was later incorporated into Erie, which includes parts of unincorporated Erie, Alexis, Ottawa, Ottawa Junction, Vienna and Vistula. The community of Harve existed in the 1830s. Today, Erie Township, officially organized in 1827, is the southeasternmost municipality in the state of Michigan.

According to the St. Joseph Catholic Church Erie website, Fr. Gabriel Richard of Detroit was the first traveling priest to support the Catholic community from 1798 to 1820. In his last two years, Fr. Richard would celebrate Mass at the log church. From 1820 to 1833, priests from the Monroe area traveled to support the young church. In 1833, Fr. John DeBruyn became the first resident pastor. It was Bishop Peter Paul LeFevere who consecrated the current church building in 1852.

A grotto dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary sits on the grounds of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Erie.
A grotto dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary sits on the grounds of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Erie.

As with many other churches, the artwork (paintings, statues, etc.) and stained glass windows of St. Joseph Erie tell stories of faith that have changed, yet endured, over the years. When the parish celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2019, many of these iconic windows were recognized. For example, the Blessed Mother Altar, to the left of the main altar, contains a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding a Rosary. It is suggested that the statue represents Mary under the title “Our Lady of Grace." Behind the altar, there is a stencil work of an Ave Maria symbol (a capital “A” superimposed on a capital “M”). There is also a crown, symbolizing Mary’s title as “Queen of Heaven and Earth." In addition, this altar contains the Ave Maria crowned.

A grotto dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary sits on the grounds of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Erie.
A grotto dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary sits on the grounds of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Erie.

An important window at St. Joseph Erie is St. John the Baptist and St. Michael window on the right-hand side of the building. Here, St. John is holding a shell — symbolic of him baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River. Next to him is St. Michael the Archangel crushing the head of the Devil. The prayer to St. Michael the Archangel is regularly recited after Mass at many Catholic parishes worldwide.

Another window at St. Joseph Erie represents the holy family with St. Joseph holding carpentry tools and a lily. The Blessed Virgin Mary is holding Jesus and pointing to him. This window includes the words “Mother of Perpetual Help."

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This is an image of the Michigan Historical Marker for the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Erie. The marker includes the French reference sur la baie (“on the bay”), related to the French Canadian Catholics that settled in the area. At the bottom of the marker is the phrase “Benit Soit Dieu" "Blessed is God."
This is an image of the Michigan Historical Marker for the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Erie. The marker includes the French reference sur la baie (“on the bay”), related to the French Canadian Catholics that settled in the area. At the bottom of the marker is the phrase “Benit Soit Dieu" "Blessed is God."

St. Joseph Erie was not the only church in Monroe County to be known as such. In 1923, the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Monroe was founded when organizers purchased the former Deinzer Furniture factory building, which was used as the structural foundation for the parish’s church, school, rectory and auditorium. St. Joseph Monroe, which was located at 924 E. Second St., was officially closed as a result of consolidation by the Archdiocese of Detroit on Sep. 8, 2014.  Sept. 8 is traditionally celebrated as the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Catholic Church.

— Tom Adamich is president of Visiting Librarian Service, a firm he has operated since 1993. He also is project archivist for the Greening Nursery Co. and Family Archives and the electric vehicle awareness coordinator at Monroe County Community College.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Erie's St. Joseph Catholic Church third-oldest parish in Archdiocese of Detroit