St. Alphonsus-St. Clement Parish

SPRINGTIME AT ST. ALPHONSUS - ST. CLEMENT PARISH - by Fr. Terry Kerner, Administrator/Moderator

Winter weather has been rough in many ways for Dearborn and across the nation. We have seen some new faces with visitors attending Mass and enjoying the Christmas season in our classic church with beautiful decorations. Even Bishop Monforton graced us by returning to his grandparents' church to celebrate Christmas Mass.
In January we received the sad news that our beloved priest, Fr. Greg Deters would be retiring. Father was granted an early retirement by Archbishop Vigneron for health considerations. Fr. Greg now resides in Livonia at Marycrest. Should you wish to send him a note, his address is: 15475 Middlebelt, Room 275, Livonia, MI 48154.I am sure he would appreciate hearing from you.
With the absence of a permanent priest we are hoping, despite the shortage of priests, to be able to fill the vacancy at St. Alphonsus - St. Clement. We cannot be certain that this will happen. Meanwhile we have been blessed with the very generous service of the Capuchin Fathers and the occasional help of Archdiocesan priests. We have been able to celebrate funerals, weddings, baptisms and anniversaries. All parishioners and alumni are encouraged to pray for the gift of a permanent priest for the parish. Without a priest this Spring, Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday liturgies will be celebrated with St. Kateri parish.
At the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday, we will see the baptism of five adults, two of whom were raised as Muslims. A total of twenty will receive Confirmation and share in the Eucharist. Those welcomed into the Church and confirmed in their Catholic Faith at Easter are from three parishes, St. Maria Goretti, St. Kateri, St. Alphonsus - St. Clement, of the Rouge Family of Parishes and have been under instruction and formation since last October. Folks in the program come from varied backgrounds and occupations including software engineer, legal aid, custodian, boiler operator, plumber, musician and senior at U of M. Five of the confirmation candidates are high school freshmen. Deacon Tom Leonard of St. Kateri has been their mentor and shepherd through their journey to Easter. The average age of the catechumens and candidates is twenty- four!
The parish has been blessed this year with very generous support from both parishioners and associate parishioners. The most dramatic example is the Archdiocesan Catholic Services Appeal (CSA). The assigned target from the archdiocese was $37,164. The parish raised $97,045. The support came from 91 donors or 36% of parishioners. Throughout the year alumni have given donations and certainly are appreciated. These donations and the sixty thousand over our parish target will allow us to continue making significant improvements around the parish. Thank you to all the alumni who have been so generous.
This Spring will see us placing the statue of Our Lady of Fatima facing the corner of Schaefer and Warren. Fatima has an important and reverent significance for Muslims and the statue recognizes that reality. Located in the highest concentration of Muslims in the US it is good to recognize our neighbors. We also will be erecting the Way of the Cross on the site of the convent. We are requesting donations from various K of C Councils for both projects. The site of the high school will also be nurtured as a garden with memorial pavers, benches and appropriate landscaping. Midge Savage and Dave Katona are spearheading the garden effort. If you would like to contribute in any way, give the parish office a call at 313.581.7495.

Click HERE to read previous articles.

Click HERE to view photos of the retirement reception held for Fr. Greg on Saturday, January 4th after the 4 pm Mass in Fr. Yagley Hall.

St. Alphonsus - St. Clement Heritage Garden - Spring 2025 Update

Click HERE for the latest update.