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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  Detroit parishes honor those with ‘spirit’

by Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published February 27, 2009

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic William Samuels of St. Leo Parish in Detroit was one of 17 men and women in Detroit urban parishes to receive a Parish Spirit Award. A prayer service and award ceremony was put on by the Urban Parish Coalition to honor the awardees and to show the vibrancy of the city’s parishes

Detroit — William Samuels of St. Leo the Great doesn’t let on that there’s anything extraordinary about what he does at his parish. A retired technician with Detroit Edison, he pitches in as the chairman of the worship committee, and helps out collecting and delivering donations to the parish’s sister parish in Haiti.

But he’s quick to note that he’s just one of many who pitch in.

“I just feel like I try to make myself useful whenever there’s a need,” says Samuels, 62.

Samuels, perhaps for his attitude as much as his efforts, was chosen by the people of St. Leo to receive a Parish Spirit Award. This month he joined 17 other men and women, each from different inner-city Detroit parishes, in being honored by their parishes for embodying the spirit of their faith community.

The occasion was a prayer service and awards program conducted by the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance’s Urban Parish Coalition. To showcase the vibrancy and Christian service of the Detroit parishes, each parish chose someone to receive the honor.

“The main purpose, besides recognizing a particular person from each parish, was to have a prayer service during which we would also reinforce the fact that there’s lots of life and lots of spirit in the city parishes,” said Sr. Cathey DeSantis, CSJ, director of the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance, following the Feb. 4 awards ceremony at Sacred Heart Church.

For three years now, people from about 20 Detroit parishes have gathered to share in worship and fellowship, for the purpose of strengthening each other in their Christian mission. This was the first year, however, for the awards — which Sr. DeSantis says will continue to be a part of the annual gatherings.

About 400 people from the Detroit parishes packed Sacred Heart Church for the service, which included song, Scripture readings and an invocation, as well as the awards ceremony.

“We’ve been through a lot in the last 20 years, with closing parishes and schools,” Sr. DeSantis says. “And a lot of people thought the city parishes might not be a priority. This is just a way to give folks a shot in the arm and put it out there that there’s a lot going on in the city parishes — and it’s an opportunity for people from all over the city to be together also.”

Fr. Norm Thomas, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Detroit — who along with John Thorne, archdiocesan director of Black Catholic Ministries came up with the spirit awards — said the awards don’t necessarily go to someone who excels beyond everyone else, but rather to someone who represents the parish’s spirit. To choose the award winners, some parishes took votes from the congregation, while others had their parish councils appoint a winner.

“Some people say, ‘We’ve got 100 people like this,’” Fr. Thomas says. But honoring a parishioner seems to have been a great way to promote the parish charitable and worship activities that involve so many.

“It is to honor and to encourage our ministry here in the city,” Fr. Thomas says. “We feel that there’s a lot of spirit, a lot of activity in the parishes in the city, and we wanted to recognize that and bring people to rally together — kind of a prayer rally.”

That, he adds, was accomplished at this year’s first awards.

Christine McLaughlin, who won Nativity of Our Lord Parish Spirit Award, says she was “pretty humbled by it.” She had worked with the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance, and helps organize outreach at her parish.

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic Parish Spirit Award winner Christine McLaughlin, of Nativity of Our Lord, says she’s just one of many who keep her parish thriving.

“Anything that any of us do — like when we have the homeless (stay at the parish) — there are probably at least 100 people who volunteer,” McLaughlin says. “You don’t ever really do much by yourself. If something big is going on, you have to have a lot of people to get it done.”

She says she sees so many other award-worthy individuals in her parish family, as well. For example, she pointed out a woman who each month sends parish bulletins to homebound parishioners, and her fellow volunteers when it comes to helping those who need food or warmth.

“To me, whatever you do as a church community, or as an individual, you do it because you’re hoping to live like Christ lived,” she says. “You do it, and sometimes you may not be thinking that specifically, but you do it because there’s a need.

“There are a lot of things that people do that — would we exist without it? Yes. But it makes the world a better place.”

People from various parish communities in the inner city say that their parishes are tightly-knit families. In many cases, they’re as small as a couple hundred families, and often provide significant outreach to the poor and homeless in their area.

In many cases, also, the warmth of the communities is such that they’ll draw parishioners from the suburbs. According to the Parish Spirit Award winners, the parishioners show impressive commitment to the life and vibrancy of their parishes.

“We’re here in the city, and we intend to stay in the city,” says Samuels. “We’re not going anywhere.” Asked whether he had a message for anyone who isn’t acquainted with the Detroit parishes, Samuels added that their always invited.

“Come not only to St. Leo’s,” Samuels says, “but come to any of the urban parishes. And I think people will be surprised by the warmth and friendliness of the congregations here.”