August 24, 2011
Dear Parishioners and Friends of St Al’s,
The coming months will be an important time for our parish community. As many of you know, we have been aware for quite some time that the Archdiocese of Detroit would be closing the building which houses the St. Al’s Community Center and our parish offices.
St. Aloysius Parish has used this building since the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, it must be sold due to operational and maintenance costs, as well as structural concerns, which make it potentially unsafe and the costs of repairing it prohibitive. Though our parish and the Archdiocese attempted to find a new building to house the warming center, those attempts have not been successful. Such a scenario may be possible for the future.
Throughout the last several months, Brother Al Mascia, our directors, our parishioners, our staff and I have done much discerning about our parish life and especially the way ministry is performed by St. Aloysius Parish. We’ve done this in cooperation with our religious order, our supporters, our Parish Council and with the Archdiocese. Our goal in our upcoming transition is to retain and enhance every element of the parish’s life and ministry—everything from divine worship, to religious education, to our ministry among Seniors, to food and clothing distribution, to the parish nursing ministry, to fundraising, to evangelization. Though we will lack a building to host a warming center, we don’t see this as something that has to be a loss. We see it as an opportunity, guided by the Holy Spirit, to do something creative and of value for the people who need it most. To that end, and in keeping with the Franciscan spirit, emphasis will continue to be placed on that part of our parish’s ministry—meeting people on the streets, feeding them, sharing God’s Word with them and helping them through referrals to both St. Aloysius and our partnering charity organizations in and around downtown. Most of you are aware of our bicycle ministry through which we bring help to those on the streets. We will enhance this ministry, involving volunteers in new ways, not only to make it a centerpiece of our outreach but also to explore other ways to be of service to the city. To date, it already has proven to be tremendously successful.
You will notice some changes at the church property in the near future. If all goes as planned, come October, our parish offices, nursing ministry and clothing pantry will move to the chancery building attached to our church where the Catholic Book Store is currently located. The Catholic Book Store will move to 23305 Ford Road in Dearborn. The lower level of our church will be modified for our religious education programs. Our food pantry and kitchen will be moved onto Randolph Street in Harmonie Park to a building called the UDetroit Café and will serve as a headquarters for the street ministry. Our candle making and coffee sales will be done out of Our Lady of La Sallette Church in Berkley. I will be keeping you updated of these changes to our parish property and ministries as they take place.
On a broader note, there is something I would like to stress to parishioners and supporters of St. Aloysius in this time of change: We are grateful and we have many reasons to be. Throughout this process, we have encountered a tremendous deal of generosity, cooperation, and good will. It is heartening to see the support we have gotten from the Franciscan Order, from donors, from volunteers, and from the Archbishop and his staff. These are hard times, and they affect everyone. And although keeping and repairing the St. Al’s Community Center building is beyond our means as a community, it is not the result of anyone or any party diminishing their support. On the contrary, the outpouring of assistance we have received serves as encouragement for our parish and its outreach.
As always, I thank you for the love that you show to Christ through your support of St. Aloysius and, through it, your care for our downtown community.
Sincerely,
Fr. Tod Laverty
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