UPDATE: Steeple Repair at St. Josaphat’s Gets Underway

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm

April 17, 2014 by Kathy Schiffer

Finally, work has begun to repair the iconic steeple atop St. Josaphat Catholic Church.

The steeple, which dates from 1901, was twisted and severely damaged in a windstorm in November 2013. The city of Detroit, fearing possible injury to worshippers, ordered the church closed until repairs could be made.

Parishioners of Mother of Divine Mercy Parish, the combined cluster parish which includes St. Josaphat’s, were asked to attend one of two nearby cluster churches: Sweetest Heart of Mary or St. Joseph’s.

St Josaphat - altar — The altar and the interior of St. Josaphat, lighted with hundreds of electric lights, harkening back to the years shortly after Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb

Now, with funds from a successful fundraising campaign and an insurance settlement, the parish is finally ready to restore their steeple to its original glory. Slate shingles, delivered from a quarry in Vermont, sit ready for installation.

The parish hopes that restoration can be completed by May, and is already planning a reopening celebration for June.