HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Our parish began in 1991 with a diverse congregation coming mainly from St. Lawrence, St. Matthias, St. Isidore and St. John Vianney Parishes. So, it is only fitting that our church is made up of diverse pieces from other parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit, as well as other parts of the United States.
Beginning in 1991, Fr. Tom Sutherland was appointed our first pastor by then archbishop, Adam Cardinal Maida, and we began to meet in a storefront on Hall Road in Utica. We began to canvas parishes in metro Detroit and elsewhere for items that could be used in our new church. Our first pews came from St. Philip Neri in Detroit and St. Anastasia in Troy, they were replaced in 2011 with newly purchased and custom fitted pews. Our St. Therese statue came from the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Our statuary of St. Therese, Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus came from the Baldachin in the chapel of the Carmelite Monastery located on Wyoming Avenue in Detroit. The altar in our chapel was crafted by Fr. Bohdan Kosicki from an altar rail from the Carmelite Monastery Chapel. The main altar of the church, made of Italian marble, hewn by a Swiss designer in 1962, was from the Xavier Missionary Sisters in Detroit. Our stained glass windows are from St. Thomas the Apostle in Detroit and churches in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Our bell is from Mary, Mother of the Church in Detroit and our tabernacle and the Sanctuary Lamp were from St. Stanislaus in Detroit. Many other items, such as our crucifix and piano also came from other parishes or were donated to make our church what it is today.
Our name, St. Therese of Lisieux, was chosen in a random drawing from Fr. Tom’s chalice between Masses on August 4, 1991. There were three names in the chalice: St. Margaret of Cortona, Mater Christi (Mother of Christ) and St. Therese of Lisieux. With nearly 500 families registered, the Archdiocese agreed on September 14, 1993 to a loan of $2.8 million, so we could begin construction of our parish church. The groundbreaking for the church was on October 30, 1993, with the first Mass celebrated at 4:30 PM on November 12, 1994. On January 15, 1995, Adam Cardinal Maida dedicated the building as a church and presided at the 4:30 PM Mass.
Over the years our parish continued to grow and change. In July of 2005, now Bishop Jeffrey Monforton became our pastor, for a short fourteen months, he was then asked to become Rector/President of Sacred Heart Major Seminary. In November of 2006, Fr. Drew Tomasko became our third pastor until he took a leave of absence in September of 2010. Fr. Larry Zurawski became our fourth pastor in July 2011 until June 2019. Beginning July 1, 2019 Monsignor John Kasza became the fifth pastor of our ever growing parish. Through the years we have been blessed with many wonderful associate pastors and weekend assistants to help us on our faith journey as a parish.
Today, our congregation remains diverse with congregants whose roots are from all over the world. We have a large mix of young families, singles, empty-nesters and seniors. Our parish, known for its warm, welcoming atmosphere, now has approximately 3000 families. May this warmth of spirit continue in the name of Christ our Savior.
