‘Mob’ flocks to Mass at Assumption Grotto church - Detroit, MI - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

From the State of Michigan two sided historical marker at the church:
ASSUMPTION ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH The origins of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church can be traced to 1830, when German immigrants first arrived in Detroit. Warned away from cholera-stricken Detroit, they built a log church here in 1832, in what was then the outskirts of the city. Redemptorist missionaries served the Kirche im Wald (Church in the Woods) until it was designated a parish by Bishop Peter Paul LeFevre in 1847. It is the second-oldest parish in Detroit. Father Amandus Vandendriessche, the first full-time pastor, was assigned here in 1852 and immediately began building a permanent structure. Built of brick made on the premises, the church was completed in time for Christmas services that same year.

ASSUMPTION GROTTO To meet the needs of a growing congregation, this church was begun in 1928. Designed by the Detroit architectural firm Aloys Frank Herman, Incorporated, the limestone-faced, Neo-Gothic, basilica-plan church was dedicated on September 22, 1929. A unique feature of the church grounds is the grotto, a shrine located in the parish cemetery. Father Amandus Vandendriessche, who had served Assumption Church since 1852, visited France in 1876 and was so inspired by the shrine at Our Lady of Lourdes that he decided to create a replica at his own parish. The grotto has attracted visitors since its dedication in June 1881. The entire church complex, which consists of the church, parish house, rectory, cemetery and grotto, was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Article text:
Detroit — Under overcast skies and among the trees behind the Assumption Grotto church, hundreds of worshipers gathered amid gravestones Monday evening for an outdoor Mass.

Many had planned to attend the Feast of the Assumption observance at the east-side site housing one of the city’s oldest churches, but joining them were new faces: the faithful who flocked there as part of the Detroit Mass Mob movement.

Inspired by “flash mobs,” the effort has worked since 2014 to fill the pews at “our old historic churches” across the Archdiocese of Detroit, organizers said. Attendance has fallen at many parishes over the years, so on a specific day, the “Mass Mob” descends on one for worship. “The events have drawn as many as 2,000 people, filling these churches and providing them support,” organizers said.

So the latest stop Monday was not just a chance to boost participation but highlight the majesty of the church.

“It’s wonderful,” said Anna Graziosi, the parish council president, as she sat in a folding chair on the grass. “I think it’ll showcase our parish and allow people to see maybe this is the parish for them.”

Also known as Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the church launched in 1832 as a “log chapel in the woods,” according to its history. Since the late 1920s, it has resided in a limestone-faced, Neo-Gothic basilica-style structure off Gratiot constructed to hold nearly 1,000 visitors.

The Grotto is named after its replica shrine that represents a cave in Lourdes, France, where Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl, St. Bernadette Soubirous. Our Lady asked Bernadette to dig in the ground and drink from the miraculous spring that emerged.

A large group of people listen as Archbishop Allen Vigneron leads a liturgy at the Grotto Church. Monday’s Mass also coincided with the date Metro Detroit Catholics observe as the Feast of the Assumption, which commemorates Mary, the mother of Jesus, leaving earth and elevating to heaven.

The church already boasts significant crowds on the date, but the awe-inspiring venue was another draw, said Thom Mann, one of the organizers. “We decided to come here because it’s outside and we could fit thousands. ... We’re happy with the crowd.”

As the celebrants watched from seats bordering flowers and communion stations, situated between graves, Detroit Catholic Archbishop Allen Vigneron noted the significance of the setting on the feast day.

The dead, he said, “are waiting to be summoned to the Resurrection,” which Mary, as the mother of Christ, “has already shared in.”

“Today we are renewed because we know God is in our midst,” the archbishop said. “... God is making paradise again. Our Lady is there already.”

Among them was Teresita Navarro of Eastpointe, a newcomer to Assumption who has also traveled to the Lourdes shrine in France. Since church members have attributed blessings to the Grotto much like others link miracles to the European site, Navarro felt compelled to join the throng.

“It’s very uplifting,” she said as candlelight flickered nearby. “It’s very holy.”

Type of publication: Newspaper When was the article reported?: 08/15/2016 Publication: Detroit News Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Society/People

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