THE HISTORY OF OUR LADY QUEEN OF HEAVEN CHURCH

Few Catholic churches within the Archdiocese of Detroit have a history as fascinating as Our Lady Queen of Heaven parish. It was founded in 1929 by Fr. Albert Mrowka. 

O.L.Q.H. was started by the Archdiocese of Detroit to serve the many Polish Catholic immigrants who were moving to the still-rural outskirts of the city. 

The Polish immigrants came in great numbers. The Archdiocese responded by establishing parishes with Polish-speaking priests to minister to their spiritual needs. 

Hamtramck became a virtual Polish enclave among other sprawling neighborhoods in the Detroit area. The Poles, just like every other ethnic group, quickly assimilated into the new society and, after a few decades, sought to move on from their portal neighborhoods into a more typically American lifestyle. They bought homes of their own and chose to move on to an even better way of living.

By the 1920's many were moving to the outskirts of the city, settling on farmlands that were quickly developed into subdivisions by the farmers. One of the attractive areas was the still-rural region in the vicinity of Van Dyke, Seven Mile Road and Outer Drive.

One local farmer, John G. Hafeli, would become a catalyst for a new neighborhood and a new Catholic parish to serve the people about to move in. His 13 acres were the one-day location of O.L.Q.H. parish.

By the late 1920's enough people had moved into the new neighborhoods that the Archdiocese of Detroit began searching for property to build a new Catholic parish. John G. Hafeli was among the organizing group that petitioned the Archdiocese to form a new parish to minister to area Catholics. In early 1929, the Archdiocese purchased five acre plot from the Hafeli farm.

The name for the new parish was first titled "Our Lady of Czestochowa." It was determined to be "too Polish" by many who couldn't pronounce it. When Bishop Gallagher finally appointed a pastor, the parish name was changed to "Our Lady Queen of Heaven."

Later in 1929 came both the Great Depression and the parish's first pastor, Fr. Albert Mrowka, from St. Michael parish in Port Austin, MI. Upon his arrival, he was given house at 8037 Rolyat by John Hafeli to use as a rectory. John's brother, Henry, owned a strip of stores on Van Dyke and he gave Fr. Mrowka two of them, which were used for organizing the new parish. They were the site for the first parish Mass held on Sunday, November 17, 1929.

With a congregation of 125 families, plans were made to build a church for Mass and a school for the children. Fr. Mrowka received a commitment from the Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania, Ohio, to staff the school when it was built. The new facility would be a combination church and school. The idea was to get a building up and running as soon as possible and later build a free-standing church. And in 1931, Fr. Mrowka acquired two residences on Rolyat across the street from the parish property, using them for the rectory and convent.

Back in the 1930's, hard times meant that people had little money for entertainment, diversions and recreation. They created their own social events closely intertwined with the local Catholic church. The first parish organization at O.L.Q.H. was the St. Ann Sodality formed in 1929. It was organized to help secure, prepare, and maintain the altar needs for Masses, like the altar cloths, Communion Hosts, sacred vessels, the priest's vestments, etc.

Other organizations also quickly grew from need or convention: the Ushers Club, the Holy Name Society, the Young Ladies Sodality, and the Q of H chapter of the League of Catholic Women.  there was even a Dramatic Club organized by the Associate Pastor, Fr. Edmond Wilschon, in 1937. 

With continued growth of the school, in 1935, money was raised to expand the combination church/school building and to build a new auditorium.

By 1944 the school enrollment peaked at 960 students, eclipsing the size of many private high schools. In almost breathtaking succession the parishioners raised funds for and built a temporary church structure, a rectory and office building, a convent and a school addition. In a few short years further construction completed the parish complex except for a permanent church which was begun in 1955 and completed in 1959, and dedicated on November 11, of that year. In 1963 the finishing touch, a bell tower and baptistry were built.

Societal and demographic changes in the 1970's also brought change to O.L.Q.H. with decreasing membership and school enrollment. Founding pastor Fr. Albert Mrowka retired on June 21, 1968, 39 years after his appointment began. Two years after a debilitating stroke, he died on October 8, 1976.

The loss of a founder and leader is sometimes too devastating to an organization for it to continue. But O.L.Q.H. managed to survive, if not flourish, through a succession of new pastors over the years that followed. Although the school continued to lose enrollment and eventually close, first a public and later a charter school, Dove Academy, leased the building for many years with a population of 450 students. This provided the parish with a dependable source of income which helped to defray the costs of running the other facilities.

Today, O.L.Q.H. continues to meet new challenges by maintaining several viable groups that provide the needed leadership and social functions for parishioners old and new. Additionally, the very special and fortunate merging of parishes with Good Shepherd in Detroit provides new members for such organizations as Christian Service, Choir, the annual "Good Times Festival" and the Social Club.

Over almost 90 years, O.L.Q.H. Parish has followed the dreams of its founding pastor, Fr. Albert Mrowka, as well as the expectations of the men and women who helped him found it. In doing so, together they created a faith community of believers who have lived, worshipped, and grieved together. The parish succeeded and flourished through unemployment and economic hardship, wartime and social upheaval, changing neighborhoods, and moral attitudes. The life of the 21st century parishioner is very different from the day to day concerns of those who began the parish in the 1920's. But deep roots will assure the continued flowering of one of Detroit's most beautiful spiritual communities.