DETROIT (WXYZ) — Now to an update of a story we first brought to you in October, a church in Eastern Market is one step closer to marching a grant for renovations.
St. Joseph Shrine in Eastern Market was one of 16 churches in the U. S. to receive the grant and the only one in Michigan.
The church has been on Jay Street since the late 1800s. You can imagine the updates it’s needed over the years.
St. Joseph Shrine is inching closer to its renovation project, making it possible to stick around for a couple of centuries.
“Detroit is such an old city, but there is so much beauty here,” says Allison Falconer, a volunteer with the St. Joseph Shrine. “Hard to say that we’ve even missed a mass in the last four or five years now.”
Allison got engaged here, got married here, and baptized baby number one with plans to baptize baby two. For her, the church is so much more than a place of worship.
“My favorite thing about St. Joseph’s is the community,” she says.
And it’s been growing.
“The church is completely full every Sunday. We are having multiple masses on Sundays, so it’s phenomenal to see,” says Allison.
Keith Norman owns the building near the church. He’s been watching the progress and is thrilled about the updates thus far.
“Just a sight to see, far as the scaffolding all the actual architectural work had to go to put it back together,” he says.
We told you back in October that St. Joseph Shrine is one of 16 churches across the country receiving a $250,000 grant for sacred places if they can match it.
“Just four months later. We’ve already three-quarters of that fund,” says St. Joseph Shrine's Canon Michael Stein.
The church will start working on the stonework this month as they continue this history revival.
“We are here to stay. We are here to grow,” says Stein.
“There’s such a revitalization happening in the city and to see that translate as well into the church, into the community here. I think there is a lot of growth. I don’t think it’s anywhere near done growing,” says Allison.
And get this — right after our interview with Allison she went into labor. Congratulations to her.
If you want to learn more about St. Joseph Shrine or make a donation to help match the grant, click here: https://www.historicrenewal.com/
