St. Patrick Church (Wyandotte)

St. Patrick Church is a Roman Catholic church located at 135 Superior Blvd. in the Detroit suburb of Wyandotte, Michigan. Originally dedicated as St. Charles Borromeo Church in 1873, it was renamed St. Patrick Church in 1886 to reflect the growing Irish-American demographic in Wyandotte. The church has served as a central institution for the Catholic community, undergoing multiple expansions, renovations, and a merger in 2013 to form St. Vincent Pallotti Parish, where it remains an active worship site.
Parish History
Founding and Early Years
During the mid-19th century, a large influx of laborers moved to Wyandotte, many of whom were Catholic. In 1854, the Most Rev. Frederick Rèsè, the first Bishop of Detroit, assigned Rev. Charles Louis DePreiter, pastor of St. Francis Xavier in Ecorse, to establish a mission in Wyandotte. Fr. DePreiter ministered to the mission for three years until it was elevated to parish status in 1857, named St. Charles Borromeo after the pastor’s namesake. Eber Ward, founder of the Eureka Iron Works, donated land for a simple frame wooden church, which opened that year on the south side of Superior Avenue between First and Second Streets. The initial congregation was small, consisting of a few French, Irish, and German families.
Growth and Renaming
The arrival of more Catholic workers in the 1850s bolstered the parish. Fr. DePreiter, who had initially overseen the mission from Ecorse, moved to Wyandotte and organized St. Charles Borromeo Parish, serving as pastor until 1873. A neighboring parish, St. Joseph, was established in 1870 less than half a mile away, in order to minister to German-Americans. The cornerstone of the church was laid on July 26, 1873, though construction took a decade to complete. During this period, the parish saw a succession of pastors: Rev. DeBeaver (1872-1876), Rev. H.W. Grime (1876-1878), Rev. Hebstrit (1878-1879), Rev. F.H. Broeger (1880-1883), Rev. T. Roeper (1883-1886), and Rev. George Laugell (1886-1890).
In 1884, the closure of a local mill made it difficult to sustain two parishes in Wyandotte, leading to a temporary merger of St. Charles and St. Joseph under one priest. In 1886, with many parishes at the time divided by ethnicity and language, St. Charles Borromeo Parish, serving a largely Irish-American congregation, was renamed St. Patrick Parish and Church. Meanwhile, St. Joseph became home to German-Americans, and another parish, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, was later established in 1899 for Polish-Americans.
Development and Expansion
In 1886, Fr. Roeper began construction of a convent to house the Sisters, though he left before its completion. The first rectory was built in 1889 at a cost of $1,700. Rev. George Laugell was succeeded by Rev. Francis O’Rourke in 1890, who was followed by Rev. James Hally in 1894. Fr. Hally served for nearly 22 years, overseeing significant growth. In 1905, the parish purchased two lots on the south side of Superior Avenue at Second Street. The cornerstone for a new school was laid in 1906, and in 1915, a vestibule was added to the church, enhancing its entrance. The first high school graduating class, consisting of three males and one female, was celebrated in 1916, with Fr. Hally delivering the address.
Fr. Hally retired due to ill health in 1916 and was succeeded by Rev. Edwin Fisher. In 1928, Rev. Ryan took over, remodeling the rectory and installing the church's first pipe organ in 1929. Fr. Ryan served until his death in 1944, when Rev. C.A. Doherty was appointed. Fr. Doherty introduced a public-address system and the parish bulletin, “The Shamrock.” In 1955, he oversaw the construction of a new convent, which housed 18 Sisters until its demolition in 2015.
Later Years and Merger
The high school closed in 1968 and was demolished in the 1980s to make way for parish offices and a child care center. In the early 2000s, renovations included replacing large portions of the flooring with travertine tile, a custom celebrant’s chair and lectern crafted by a local carpenter, and a new baptismal font built by a New York firm. Most stained-glass windows were replaced due to high repair costs, though the triangular top portions were salvaged and reused.
In 2010, St. Patrick was clustered with the Wyandotte parishes of St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth (est. 1924). In 2013, the two parishes merged to form St. Vincent Pallotti Parish, named after the founder of the Society of Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines), which ministers to the parish. At the time of the merger, St. Patrick had 425 families, some tracing their lineage to the parish’s founding.
Recent Renovations
In 2015, the church temporarily closed for repairs, including a new roof, added insulation, ceiling plastering, fresco refurbishment, and floor resurfacing. The convent was also demolished that year.

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