St. Hyacinth Parish

A Chronological History

In 1905, a group consisting of about 30 young men who had left Poland as children or teenagers, spent their early years at St. Albertus, married, and began moving from the original Polish neighborhood to the area northeast in increasing numbers, signed an appeal to Bishop John S. Foley requesting the establishment of a new Polish parish.

In 1907, Bishop Foley appointed the Rev. Father Sylvester Kolkiewicz to organize and build a new parish that would be easily accessible to the people of this area.  On May 8, 1907, Father Kolkiewicz accepted this tremendous challenge and St. Hyacinth Roman Catholic Parish was officially founded.

In early December, 1907, despite cold weather and snow, Polish builders and carpenters started building the first church.  The little frame church was built in only sixteen days on the south side of Frederick Street about midway between McDougall and Elmwood avenues.  In the months prior, Masses had been celebrated at the home of Martin Tesmar, which was located at the corner of McDougall and Theodore streets.

Just one year later, a new St. Hyacinth Church and School building had been completed and was officially dedicated on December 20, 1908.  The building, which still stands today on the corner of Frederick and McDougall avenues, was completed at a cost of 35,000 dollars and towered above all the other new structures in the area.  The first school principal was Sister Mary Celine.

In January, 1920, the Rev. Father Francis Baweja was appointed as the second pastor of St. Hyacinth when Father Kolkiewicz accepted other duties in the archdiocese.  While here at St. Hyacinth, Father Kolkiewicz taught the people of St. Hyacinth, the Jackowianie, to strive for the best from the very beginning - an important lesson that has resulted in all that we have today.

On January 10, 1922, Father Francis Baweja met with the parish committee to discuss the proposed construction of a new St. Hyacinth Church building.  Father Baweja presented Bishop Michael J. Gallagher with the results of the parish meeting, placing special emphasis on the willingness of the people to finance the plan.  After several days of consideration, Bishop Gallagher gave his permission to engage architects Donaldson and Meier, Architects of Detroit, to submit plans for the proposed St. Hyacinth's Church and Rectory.  Father Baweja immediately commissioned the architects to draw up definite plans and projected costs of the new church.  Father Baweja then announced to the parishioners that July 4, 1922 would be "groundbreaking" day for the new St. Hyacinth Church and Rectory.  On May 25, 1924, Bishop Michael J. Gallagher blessed the newly constructed church. Built at a total cost of some 300,000 dollars in two years, the Byzantine-Romanesque style church stood impressively in the purely Polish neighborhood.  It was the pride of everyone who walked on McDougall Avenue.

Also assisting the pastor was Rev. Father Stefan Woznicki.  From 1920 until he himself became the pastor of St. Hyacinth, Father Woznicki unofficially worked in the parish.  His position as secretary to Bishop Gallagher left him little time, yet he managed to remember his Polish background and offered spiritual advice to both religious and lay members of the parish.  At age 31, he became the youngest Monsignor in the world.

Father Baweja, Msgr. Woznicki, and the Parish Council took extreme care in deciding upon the various interior paint color schemes and artistic decorations of the new church building. Prior to arriving at a decision, Father Baweja and Msgr. Woznicki visited various churches in Canada and a Cathedral in St. Louis, Missouri for ideas.  By late 1928, the decoration of the interior of the church had been completed.

In 1932, St. Hyacinth celebrated its 25th Anniversary.  An anniversary book was published, in Polish, with a photo of the founding pastor, Father Kolkiewicz on the cover.  An evening banquet was held at the Dom Polski Hall on Forest at Chene street.

Father Francis Baweja died on December 26, 1936.  During the funeral eulogy, Bishop Gallagher appointed the new Pastor of St. Hyacinth Parish - Monsignor Woznicki.  Bishop Gallagher died three weeks later.

On January 25, 1938, Monsignor Woznicki was consecrated as Bishop of Detroit by Archbishop Mooney and continued his residency and pastorship at St. Hyacinth.  Bishop Woznicki was Pastor of St. Hyacinth in its Golden Age.

At the outbreak of World War II, parishioners scrambled to contact relatives upon the news of Germany's attack on Poland.  An Honor Roll of servicemen perishing in the war was installed in the church vestibule.  Parishioner Arthur Nowicki was the first St. Hyacinth serviceman to be killed in the war.

On the 35th anniversary of the school building, it had been estimated that 28,000 students and 3,000 graduates had passed through its doors. In May 1949, homes were purchased on Farnsworth Street and razed to provide a playground for the school children.

On June 15, 1950, Rev. Father Peter S. Rypel succeeded Bishop Woznicki as Pastor of St. Hyacinth.

On May 8, 1957, St. Hyacinth Parish celebrated its Golden Jubilee.  A Golden Jubilee book, a souvenir of the occasion, was published.

Father Rypel retired as pastor on June 30, 1971 but continued to reside at the parish rectory until the time of his death, four months later, on October 6th.  On July 25, 1971, Rev. Father Francis S. Skalski was installed as pastor of St. Hyacinth.

In the 1970's, St. Hyacinth began to face challenging times.  With declining grade school enrollments, parish organizations stepped up to the challenge, holding various fundraisers with proceeds donated to help keep the school open.  Parishioners rallied in strong opposition to any attempt by the Eastside Vicariate to close the school.  Cardinal Dearden notified Father Skalski that no one would close the school if it maintained a strong financial base.  The school remained open.

In 1981, Father Joseph Karasiewicz, former pastor of Immaculate Conception parish, celebrated his first Mass at St. Hyacinth after the closing of his parish due to the Poletown plant project.  Months later, Father Karasiewicz suffered a fatal heart attack in his room at St. Hyacinth rectory.  Nearly 1,000 mourners including Cardinal Dearden and Cardinal Szoka attended the Funeral Mass at St. Hyacinth.

The Parish's 80th anniversary celebration took place on October 25, 1987 with Edmund Cardinal Szoka celebrating Mass and blessing the Immaculate Conception Memorial Chapel.  The Chapel installation and resurfacing of some of the interior walls with marble from Italy was made possible through a 100,000 dollar grant from the Cardinal and Archdiocese.

On May 23, 1990, it was officially decided to close the grade school due to the lack of students.  The 81-year tradition marked its last day on June 6th.

Only days after celebrating their one hundred year anniversary of serving the needs of Detroiters, the Felician Sisters left St. Hyacinth Parish on July 11th, 1990, ending yet another tradition that lasted 81 years.

In 2001, artist Dennis Orlowski was commissioned by the Parish to paint a Polish-American Heritage Mural over the main entrance doorways of the church.  The mural is a gift from St. Hyacinth Parish to the Polish community of metropolitan Detroit and in celebration of the 300th birthday of the City of Detroit

On June 24, 2001, nearly 1000 people crowded into St. Hyacinth Church for a celebration of Detroit's tricentennial and to celebrate Polish-American heritage.  Bishop Allen Vigneron, principal celebrant of the Mass, praised the contributions of Polish immigrants and successive generations of Polish Americans in building the Catholic Church in Detroit.  During the Mass, Bishop Vigneron and Father Skalski presented Detroit300 Polish American Heritage awards to individuals and representatives of businesses and institutions.

Over the years Saint Hyacinth has honored members of Detroit area Polonia during special Masses to recognize the efforts individual and group efforts.  One of these Masses is the Annual Blessing of the Polish American Dance Ensembles.  This Mass is celebrated in the spring and pays tribute to the efforts of the Detroit area Polish American Dance organizations, with a special emphasis on the youth.  The Blessing Mass averages 150 to 200 dancers a year.  The Mass reached a milestone of its own as it recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Saint Hyacinth underwent a transition in leadership in June 2006 when Father Skalski, who had served as pastor for 35 years retired and turned over the responsibilities of being pastor to Father Janusz Iwan.  Father Skalski’s tenure as pastor will long be remembered as well as the pastoral care and leadership that he provided to the parish.  Father Frank will also be remembered for his enduring devotion to the parish and successful efforts to keep Saint Hyacinth Parish open and viable.  Being a humble servant of our Lord, Father Skalski would never take credit for all of his accomplishments.  Instead, he would say, "I only have two hands, it is the many helpers that make all of this possible”.  During the difficult times, when many Detroit area parishes were closing, Saint Hyacinth remained a stronghold for Polonia and a gem on the eastside of Detroit for Catholics to practice their faith.

Rev. Father Janusz Iwan came to Saint Hyacinth from Saint Stanislaus Kostka parish in Wyandotte where he had briefly served as pastor since 2005.  Father Iwan was installed as the pastor of St. Hyacinth on August 27th, 2006.  He started his pastoral duties at a very exciting time in our history.  Saint Hyacinth was in the midst of planning its 100th Anniversary celebration.  Upon arriving at Saint Hyacinth, Father Iwan was pleased at the beauty and upkeep of the church and property.  During many of the special Masses and Holy Days, Father Iwan had often remarked how much more beautiful the church was when it was filled with people.  He always invited guests to continue to visit Saint Hyacinth more often.

One of the first new projects undertaken by Father Janusz and the Parish Council in 2007 was the creation of the commemorative brick paver program.  The brick paver program is still ongoing and allows parishioners and friends the opportunity to honor the memory of their loved ones with an inscribed brick paver as well as to help raise funds for the parish.

Another beautification to the church grounds was the creation of a courtyard between the church and school buildings.  The temporary building unit that once served as classroom space and then later, as a chapel for celebrating daily Masses was sold and removed from the site.  New grass and trees were planted, and concrete walkways were created in the area where the chapel once stood.

In June 2008, St. Hyacinth became designated as a historic site in the state of Michigan which was commemorated by the placement and dedication of a historical marker on the exterior of the church building.

Other improvements while Father Iwan was pastor included the remodeling of the rectory, repairs to the school building and upgrades to the church sound system

On July 1, 2013, Fr. Iwan was also appointed as the pastor of Our Lady Queen of Apostles Parish in Hamtramck.  As a result of this additional assignment, St. Hyacinth Parish was clustered with Our Lady Queen of Apostles Parish and Father Iwan assumed the leadership of both parishes.

In April 2014, St. Hyacinth was the site of the very first Detroit Mass Mob and Father Iwan was very pleased to have our beautiful, historic church filled with so many people.  Just one year later, the Traveling Catholics Mass Mob visited the church and celebrated their first event by drawing nearly 700 people to Mass at St. Hyacinth.

Over the years, Father Iwan came to know the dedication of the Saint Hyacinth Parishioners very well.  He became keenly aware of the strong devotion and continued support of the members of the parish.  Their desires, like his own, were to fill the church with new members.

On July 1, 2022, St. Hyacinth became a member parish of the Genesis Vicariate Family of Parishes, which is comprised of Mother of Divine Mercy Parish and St. John Paul II Parish, which are in Detroit; and Our Lady Queen of Apostles Parish and St. Florian Parish, which are in Hamtramck

On June 30, 2023, Father Iwan retired and shortly thereafter, returned to Poland to reunite with his family and friends.

Today, Saint Hyacinth Parish continues to remain a stronghold for Polonia and our beautiful church is a gem on the eastside of Detroit, where we worship God and practice our Catholic faith.  Please join us as we continue to build the memories and treasures for future generations to cherish.