Q&A: UPCOMING CHANGES TO THE OPERATIONS OF ST. ALOYSIUS
Why is the Archdiocese of Detroit selling the community center instead of keeping it open for the clientele of St. Al’s Community Center?
The building that houses the St. Al’s Community Center is costly to operate and is in poor structural shape. Minus costly renovation, it will be too unsafe to use. The Archdiocese of Detroit, which has owned the building since the 1990s, has been carrying the costs associated with the building and, in 2009, a commission that reviewed archdiocesan obligations recommended that the building be vacated and sold.
Why doesn’t the Archdiocese of Detroit give the building to St. Aloysius?
Unfortunately, this would not solve the problem. The building is in such poor condition that the parish cannot bear the expense of repair. Further, the parish does not have the financial means to sustain the operational and maintenance costs of the building. Regardless of whether the Archdiocese of Detroit or St. Aloysius Parish own the property, the condition of it makes it unusable for the long-term, and the cost to repair or replace the building is too great.
Why is the building in such bad shape?
There are several aspects of the building that would require a large amount of money to repair. One central concern is that, two years ago, several of the rafters sustained damage when a windstorm lifted a sign mounted on the top of the building. The Archdiocese spent $70,000 to bolster the rafters. A necessary, but more costly, improvement for the longer term, however, would be to replace them. Additionally, the building requires nine furnaces to heat its 30,000 square feet. While that in itself is expensive, at present four out of the nine furnaces are in need of extensive repair or replacement. There also are problems with the air conditioning which already makes the offices uninhabitable on days when temperatures reach the mid-90s. Other costs involve updating the building’s sewage and plumbing systems and further repairs to the roof.
To put things in further perspective, when the building was erected in the late 1920s, it was actually built to be a temporary structure. It was built as the Book family announced plans to construct an 80-plus story skyscraper on the same footprint. The two-story building currently situated on the site was meant to be there for just a few years to help the Book family raise money for the larger building. The Great Depression led to the cancellation of plans for the skyscraper, however, and our building remains badly in need of extiensive repair.
Why doesn’t the Archdiocese help St. Al’s Community Center relocate to another building?
Presently, the Archdiocese of Detroit does not own another facility downtown suitable to house the St. Aloysius ministries. The Archdiocese did cooperate with St. Aloysius to try to secure the lease of another location nearby on Griswold Street. Unfortunately, the owner declined the lease because of a change in development plans. St. Aloysius and the Archdiocese would be interested to find another ministry location. At present, however, the ministries of St. Aloysius are adjusting so as to serve the needy in Detroit where they are—right on the street and in their apartments—and to refer them to the parish office and other Detroit social services, including shelters and warming centers.
If not in a new center, where will the ministries of St. Aloysius be done?
There are five locations where the ministry of St. Aloysius will take place. First, the ground floor of the Archdiocese of Detroit Chancery Building immediately next to St. Aloysius Church will be used to house the parish offices and the parish nursing ministry. It will also be used on a limited basis for scheduled gatherings of seniors and others groups. The 2nd floor of the Chancery Building will be used from time to time for larger parish gatherings. Second, removing a limited number of pews to provide an expanded gathering space for religious education classes and other parish gatherings will modify the lower level of the church itself. The physical appearance of the church will not be altered. Third, and perhaps most important, is on the streets of Detroit, as we meet people in need right where they are. This is done via a bicycle ministry, which already has begun. Fourth, the street ministry food preparation and other bicycle cart related preparation will be based at a location called the UDetroit Café in Harmonie Park on Randolph Street. This is where volunteers will collect and prepare food and keep a limited quantity of clothing items for distribution on the streets. Finally, the parish will house some fundraising operations such as packaging coffee and candle production at Our Lady of La Sallette Parish in Berkley.
Will the loss of the Community Center building affect parish life?
Essentially, yes. While we often look at St. Aloysius as being two entities—one a church, the other an outreach ministry—it is, indeed, a single community. We hope the changes to come will accentuate that fact. Already, more of our parishioners in recent years have stepped forward to aid our outreach activities. While St. Aloysius outreach has volunteers from throughout metro Detroit, the trend of getting parishioners more involved is one that we expect to see continue. In regards to Sunday worship, the change will not be noticeable. The modification of the lower level of the church, which already is used for educational purposes, will not be apparent at weekend services, as the lower level is not used during liturgies. Our Mass schedule and religious education offerings will not change.
Taking bicycles onto the streets—is this really a serious and effective way to reach the needy?
Absolutely. The bicycle ministry is by no means one of “last resort” because other models could not be afforded. It was formed and is carried out quite intentionally in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, by whom the Franciscan Order was founded. In Italy in the 13th century, St. Francis embraced the poor and the sick and chose to be poor himself. His ministry was one of ad gentes—or “going out” to the people in need, spreading the Gospel and begging on their behalf. Today in Detroit, it is an effective means of being Christ to those who most need compassionate care.
Brother Al Mascia, OFM, has spearheaded the bicycle ministry since last November, with a great deal of success. In fact, local media outlets including the Detroit Free Press have featured him gathering people around the carts. It’s not as simple as it sounds. The bicycles we use are custom-made with large food carts to keep food and beverages hot in the winter and cold in the summer. They also are capable of carrying a limited amount of clothing for winter emergencies. The parish now has three bicycles and is in the process of training volunteers to implement the ministry.
The added benefit of this unconventional means of ministry is that it reaches people who wouldn’t ordinarily be reached. As in anyone’s life, people who live on the streets do tend to get into a routine. Other centers in the area can even identify a path some of them follow throughout each day—spending the night in one shelter, going to another for lunch, moving to another late in the day, and returning to the overnight shelter. Instead of being a stop within the routine—which in itself is a noble outreach ministry—the ad gentes model has been successful in reaching people who wouldn’t ordinarily be reached. Via the bicycle ministry, we have already found people who were in need of medical care and unable to come to the St. Al’s Community Center or any other shelter. We have also found people in the winter unable to reach warming centers in the worst of weather. Certainly, the bicycle ministry will have many “regular customers”—people who will be found on the bicycle routes each day and depend on them for food. The expectation is that this ministry will continue to seek out those who are most in need and don’t know where to go.
How much funding does the Archdiocese of Detroit give to St. Aloysius each year? Is this amount decreasing due to the Archdiocese of Detroit’s restructuring?
As disclosed in 2009, the availability of funds from the Detroit archdiocese is limited; however, the Archdiocese has made it a priority to support the ministry of St. Aloysius Parish. Financial support from the Archdiocese of Detroit to St. Aloysius Parish is now at a defined subsidy amount of $240,000.00 per year which the parish puts to use in the traditional operations of a parish church—salaries, religious education, worship, utilities, etc. The parish does not pay rent for use of Chancery facilities of the archdiocese.
St. Al’s Community Center had its own operating budget which was kept separate from the parish’s expenditures. Grants from both the Archdiocese of Detroit and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops along with financial support from our faithful donors have traditionally been used to fund the outreach. The archdiocese also has continually invested in building upkeep for the Community Center ministries.
Are the outreach ministries of St. Aloysius Parish in danger of going away?
Absolutely not. The moving of the ministry out of the Washington Boulevard building and into other facilities by no means signals an end to the important ministries of St. Aloysius Parish. With the generous support of the Archdiocese, the Franciscan Order, parishioners and our friends and volunteers, the parish’s ministry downtown is expected not only to survive but also to adjust to area needs in more effective ways. Together with the pastor, parishioners and staff will be developing a new plan of ministry that will take us into the future once our transition to our new location is complete.
What will happen to the clients of St. Al’s Community Center who have depended upon the center for food, clothing, limited health care, and shelter during the winter?
The ministry of food distribution will remain intact, though this will be done using the ad gentes, or “going out” approach. St. Francis of Assisi walked among the people where they lived in order to preach the Gospel and to be of service to the poor in the world. We are seeking to move outward to the people in our downtown Detroit neighborhood in an effort to do that same thing.”
As our parish’s volunteers continue the ministry, riding tricycles to meet and bring food to people on the streets, they will give appointments to those they encounter who seem to be in need of medical care and clothing. If need be, the parish nurse will come directly to the person in need. The parish nursing ministry and clothing services will remain intact in our new facilities. Additionally, the staff of St. Al’s Community Center in recent months have worked with other outreach and warming centers in the area and have identified a coalition of organizations that already provide a “Circle of Care” to the homeless and poor in Detroit. The staff and volunteers of St. Aloysius will assist our guests by referring them to these cooperating organizations.
With regard to the important warming center ministry, the staff of St. Aloysius will continue, as it did last winter, to search on the streets for those who are in need of warming centers and refer them to nearby organizations that have the space to provide that service. Fortunately, each area of the city does have an organization that opens its doors in dangerously cold weather. Last winter parish representatives successfully approached the city about re-opening emergency warming centers and cooling centers during extreme weather conditions. The city has responded favorably.
What about all the people who come to volunteer for St. Aloysius, or those who collect and drop off food and clothing donations?
A core of qualified volunteers is, and will continue to be, central to the operations of St. Aloysius’ ministry. Volunteers will staff the kitchen at the Harmonie Park location to sustain the street ministry. The parish will continue to recruit, screen and train volunteers for work with St. Aloysius. New ministry opportunities will be developed as our awareness of the needs of the downtown community develops.
Given a smaller amount of space in which to store food and clothing donations, the center will be much more focused in regards to what types of food and clothing items are needed and can be accepted to support the street and clothing needs of our clients.
