The second oldest church in Detroit and privileged to have a little bit of Lourdes in the oldest outdoor Marian shrine in Michigan. This parish, over 160 years old. The church you see today is the fourth building. The first church, built of logs, was built around 1832. The brick and frame structure which replaced the log chapel was gutted by fire on January 1, 1907. Its successor was razed to make room for the present church in 1929.
Father Vandendriessche was a talented, energetic man with boundless faith and imagination. In 1876, he visited Lourdes to make his devotions to Our Lady and he was so inspired that he resolved to build a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes behind the church so that his fellow Americans could worship at an outdoor shrine. Despite many obstacles, the Grotto was formally dedicated on May 29, 1881.
