Community Corner
St. Elizabeth Holds Vigil on Eve of Church Closure
St. Elizabeth will hold its final Mass at 4 p.m. Saturday. Following the service, a motorcade will take the statue of St. Elizabeth to its new home at St. Joseph in Wyandotte.
About 100 people gathered Friday night at for a chance to celebrate parish history and share memories as the church prepares to close this weekend.
The evening at the small church, which opened in 1924, consisted of a vigil service, followed by a memorial tribute and a reception.
and then the doors will be permanently locked. A motorcade will take the statue of St. Elizabeth to its new home at St. Joseph.
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In February, as part of a , St. Elizabeth formed a plan to merge with by June 30. A second phase then calls for St. Joseph to combine with by June 30, 2013. All three churches had been operating under a cluster arrangement for the past two years.
At Friday’s vigil at St. Elizabeth, the Revs. Michael Cremin, Linus Kinyua and Charles Morris all presided.
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For the last two years, Cremin has been the pastor of the three-parish cluster, while Kinyua has served as his associate pastor.
Morris was the pastor at St. Elizabeth from 1993-2010 and is currently pastor at St. Christopher in Detroit. On Friday, Morris gave a stirring homily during the vigil, recognizing his former parishioners for consistently being charitable and always willing to reach out to the community over the years.
“No matter where you were in your life cycle, you were part of it,” Morris said.
After the service, church members had a chance to mingle and look over items from the church's past, as well as old newspaper clippings and photographs.
However, the most moving part of the evening for many appeared to be the slide presentation. Several people shed tears as countless images of weddings, baptisms, parish outings and other church memories appeared on the screen.
Cremin said the sadness that exists due to a church closing is often akin to the sadness one feels over any type of serious loss in their life. Holding an event like Friday’s liturgy, and the chance to share memories, can help comfort those who are now losing their parish, he said.
“I know that when people come together at a sad time, a sorrowful time, it can be a great consolation and support," Cremin said. “I think it’s a blessing for people to come together and talk to each other for some stories and memories to be shared.”
Do you have a favorite memory from St. Elizabeth? Share it with us in the comments below.
