Parish History

Saint Louis Parish History

            To compile the history of this Parish and confine it to a few pages is a daunting task, for the fellowship of this community cannot be presented with justice to those who have never set foot within this community. The story of St. Louis Parish is intertwined into our own personal stories - it intermingles in the day-to-day joys, celebrations, trials and tribulations of its parishioners; and it all began in 1926.

            In August of 1926, Fr. Victor J. Renaud was released from his position of administrator of St. Peters Parish in Mount Clemens, Michigan, which he had held for only nine months following the death of his predecessor, Fr. Thomas Luby. Upon his return from a monthlong vacation, on September 7, 1926, he received his new appointment from Bishop Michael Gallagher to organize, build and preside over a new parish in Mount Clemens. Fr. Renaud accepted the appointment with enthusiasm and began to look for a site on which to build this greatly needed church. Boundaries of the new parish were set as: East of Gratiot to Lake St. Clair, between 15 Mile Road and Hall Road (which was then called New Baltimore Road), and with these parameters 350 families made up this infant congregation.

            Fr. Renaud's search for land was not long lived. On September 13, 1926, the heirs of Louis and Mathilda Charbeneau came forward to donate 4.5 acres of family land situated in the Township of Clinton, between Charbeneau Street, Crocker Boulevard and Ormsby Street (then called William Street). Although Fr. Renaud had the intention to name the new church St. Thomas Aquinas, in memory of Fr. Thomas Luby, he took into consideration the generous gift from the Charbeneau’s and chose the French saint, King Louis IX, in honor of the late Louis Charbeneau.

            The process of organizing this infant parish was running quite smoothly, when three days after receiving the tract of land, Fr. Renaud purchased a 67-foot by 30-foot little, white school building from Trinity Lutheran Parish for $500. John Maison was contracted for $350 to move the building to the church property, but a month of rainy weather delayed the move. The school building finally arrived at its new home on October 14,1926. Before the building could be raised into position, a foundation had to be laid. The Artificial Stone Company and the Siereus Brothers donated the cement blocks for the foundation. August VanPamel performed the excavation and David Hebert (Hibbert) and his men laid the flooring. The building was then laid on its foundation, and the decision was made to enlarge the building and add an additional 27 feet. Carpentry work began and male parishioners donated their weekends to the work at hand, but the work was not progressing fast enough, so the men decided to volunteer their evenings as well.

            The evening of November 3rd set in with a large crowd of workers gathered at the church. In that one night, 45’ by 30’ flooring was laid; the woodwork was cleansed and varnished, and the electrical fixtures were installed. As they toiled diligently into the chilly autumn night, the women of the parish arrived with sandwiches and hot pots of coffee to refresh the volunteer workers.

            Sunday, November 7, 1926, the first services were held in the new church, a building assembled by those who sat in the body of the new St. Louis Catholic Church. Three masses were held that day, one at seven-thirty, a high Mass at nine o'clock and low Mass at eleven-thirty, and each found the little church packed to capacity. Fr. Renaud presided over the first two Masses while Fr. James Leukert, chaplain at St Joseph's Sanitarium, presided over the third. The collection on that opening day was a grand $515.00.

            Parishioners and friends of Fr. Renaud threw a series of parties to raise money towards the operation of the parish, to which they added $1,571.72 to the weekly donations. By Christmas 1926, the church had blossomed into a fully functional place of worship and midnight Mass was celebrated in grand style. As Fr. Renaud prepared the church's financial statement at the close of 1926, he found the results most gratifying as the church's expenses were less than the donations, leaving a balance of $1,227.81.

            Within those first few months, St. Louis Parish baptized eleven infants and two adults, celebrated the marriage of five couples, and mourned the loss of four parishioners. On May 29, 1927, eighty children celebrated their First Communion in the little white church.

            On the last Sunday of January 1927, it was unanimously decided at a meeting of 100 male parishioners to build a rectory for the Pastor. (Fr. Renaud was residing at St. Joseph's Sanitarium on North Avenue in Mount Clemens. By today's transportation it wasn't far away, but in 1927 it took a little longer to travel from the Sanitarium to the Church). In fifteen minutes $6,000 was donated to begin the building of the rectory and within the next few weeks another $2,000 was donated to the project. On February 7, 1927, Fr. Renaud moved to a temporary rental rectory at 234 Crocker Boulevard. Several "showers" were held in Fr. Renaud's honor, supplying him with the necessities for the new rectory. While plans were being made to build the rectory, the concept of building a new combination church and school played around in Fr. Renaud's mind.

            On July 4th, 1927, Fr. Renaud’s vision began to come to fruition as ground was broken for the church/school during an all-day picnic and carnival held on the parish grounds. The picnic netted the Parish $2,500 with a soft drink stand, ice cream, candy, hot dog, cigar, dinner and fortune booths, as well as the sales of religious articles and "Fancy" work. They also had activities such as a dance hall and a fishpond. To add to the list of merriments that day, there were various raffles, such as a smoking set, a ukelele and a boat.

            During the afternoon of September 25, 1927, 2000 people arrived to participate in the ceremonies as the cornerstone of the church/school was laid. Within the cornerstone was placed a copy of the parish history, names of the parish's benefactors and a list of regular contributors, a sketch of the new building with a copy of the specifications, as well as the names of the current Pope (Pius XI), Bishop (Michael Gallagher), pastor of the parish (Fr. Renaud), President of the United States (Calvin Coolidge), governor of Michigan (Alex Groesbeck) and the mayor of Mount Clemens (William Strait).

            For two weeks in January 1928, St. Louis held its first mission. During this time three societies were formed: Holy Name Society (now Men's Club), the Altar Society (now Our Ladies Circle) and the Young Ladies Sodality.

            Mass was celebrated for the first time in the new church (now the Social Hall) on Easter Sunday, 1928. The building was formally dedicated on July 25th by Bishop Gallagher. This new building cost $125,000 to erect and held six classrooms, an office, the church and a music room. Following the elaborate dedication celebration and the 25th Anniversary Mass in honor of the ordination of Fr. James Leukert, a banquet for the clergy was held in the Parish Hall (the old white church building), and in the evening 250 children and adults were confirmed by Bishop Gallagher. 

            During the summer a new house erected on Eastman and Avery streets was leased as a convent, and in August of 1928, Reverend Sister Emmaline, IHM and her staff of teachers, moved into the convent. (The sisters from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Monroe Motherhouse staffed the school until 1943). On September 10^th, the school opened its doors to 315 students. By the time the parish's second anniversary rolled around, over 200 children were baptized, 150 had made their First Communion, 250 received Confirmation and 75 marriages were blessed. In June of 1929, 26 students graduated from the eighth grade.

            Finally, it became imperative to build the new rectory, and ground was broken on September 18,1929. In the spring of 1930 the beautiful new rectory, at a cost of $23,000, was ready for Fr. Renaud. Fr. Renaud toiled every day to make his parish stronger and continued to do so until 1936 when he was transferred to St. Mary in Anchorville, Michigan. Fr. Renaud passed away on October 25, 1958.

            Fr. Harold Rosebrook took over where Fr. Renaud had left off. It was apparent to Fr. Rosebrook that the teaching staff needed larger quarters, thus he moved them into the large rectory and a new brick house across from the school was purchased as a temporary rectory for himself and his assistant, Fr. Welch. Building fund drives were slowed by the Depression; and with the onset of World War II, the construction of a new convent was brought to a halt. In June of 1942, Fr. Rosebrook was transferred to St. Leo's in Detroit and St. Louis bade farewell to its second priest. Fr. Rosebrook passed away on October 19, 1977.

            Fr. Joseph Schramm was Fr. Rosebrook's successor; he came to St. Louis from Our Lady of Victory in Northville, Michigan. He replaced the IHM teaching staff with Mother Seton's Daughters of Charity of Cincinnati. This move temporarily solved the housing needs of both the pastor and the sisters. The new teaching staff could be housed at the Sanitarium with the rest of their order.

            In the spring of 1944, Michigan's first Prince of the Church, Edward Cardinal Mooney, administered Confirmation to the children of St. Louis. This marked the first time such a prelate had ever visited Mount Clemens.

            In September of 1946, the parish's debt of $100,000 was paid off, and the fundraising drives were on again to make additions to the school. In 1950, ground was broken for six new classrooms to be built at the north end of the school. Also, a new convent was to be built on the corner of Charbeneau Street and Crocker Boulevard. Both structures were completed in 1951. An open house was held at the convent to show off its modern styling and equipment. Shortly after these additions were completed, another unit was erected at the south end of the school which provided six more classrooms, an office and a large assembly room. In September of the same year, St. Louis High School was added to the elementary program, beginning with the ninth grade and adding another grade each year. By 1954 all twelve grades were up and running.

            Overcrowded Sunday Masses led to a new fund-raising campaign to pay for a much-needed church. Four-hundred fifty-thousand dollars would be required to build the new church, which would occupy the site located between the rectory and the convent. Ground for the church was broken on September 20, 1957, and on June 11th of the next year, Bishop Hubert Maino laid the cornerstone with the assistance of Frs. Schramm, Edward DeKeyser and Thaddeus Rzeznik. The church was completed in time for the Christmas season, and the first Mass was celebrated on December 7, 1958.

            The cornerstone for the high school was laid in November of 1963, and the unit was dedicated to John F. Kennedy. The school was completed and ready for opening in 1964. The new school provided additional classrooms and laboratory facilities, which had only been available through a sharing program with St. Mary's High School.

            On June 15, 1966, Fr. Schramm retired after forty years of devotion to the archdiocese and 24 years of furthering Fr. Renaud's dreams for this now thriving parish. Fr. Schramm left St. Louis debt free, with 850 students in the grade school and 340 in the high school. Fr. Schramm entered eternal life on June 20,1974.

            Fr. Joseph Ryder arrived on the steps of St. Louis Parish in 1966 from his position as founder of St. Alexander in Farmington, Michigan. Fr. Ryder was quick to get to his work, as surging parish activities and administrative changes instituted by Vatican II changes increased his staff and space needs. Late in 1966, renovation of the rectory began, which added two more offices and a reception room to the first floor, as well as increasing second floor accommodations.

            At the close of the year 1966, St. Louis had baptized 156 infants and 13 adults; 232 children and 13 adults made their First Communion, 18 adults were confirmed, 54 couples were married and 50 parishioners died. From 1967 to 1969 Fr. Ryder was able to enjoy a parish full of activity without any construction or renovations. Alas, March 1968 brought some painful decision making to the School Board and Parish Council. It was decided on March 23rd by the School Board that the High School would be phased out beginning with the ninth grade, commencing with the 1969-1970 fall semester. On April 27, 1969, the Parish Council decided to close St. Louis High School at the end of the next school year.

            Fr. Ryder left our parish in June of 1970, after only four years of service. Fr. David E. Weisner took the helm with Fr. Robert J. Poledink as assistant pastor. The two priests found themselves in the midst of a large hardship within the community. Financial strain made the decision to close down the grade school inevitable. Although the pressure from parents was intense to keep the school up and running, the grade school was closed on June 8, 1971. Some of the teaching sisters stayed on to develop our religious education program and were assisted by a lay coordinating team. In August of that year, the White Hall, which in the beginning was our first church, went through some renovations.

            In 1973 the convent was deemed too large for use and was leased out for other purposes. The small house on Ormsby Street, across from the school, which was once the rectory, a home economics center and the home for the janitor and housekeeper, was renovated to accommodate the sisters. The new convent was completed in spring of 1974.

            Fr. Dave's first eight years passed by and the disappointment over the closing of the grade school subsided. But it was time for another change. At the request of Fr. Dave and the Worship Commission, a committee was formed in 1978 to look into possible changes to our worship space. The important idea of restructuring the church was approached with great care. The volunteers on the Renovation Committee attended workshops on the matter before they met for their initial conference. The renovation was based on the needs of the parishioners' worship and the studies the committee had poured through.

            Fr. Jerry Miller, an assistant pastor, was put in charge to raise the awareness of the people of the parish of the potential changes at hand. They gave a ten-week presentation series at the Sunday liturgies throughout the fall of 1978. It was deemed important to educate the parish on the changes in the areas of Sacraments, Ministering Congregation and Public Worship, brought about by Vatican II. Along with Fr. Miller's presentation at Mass, he also had corresponding articles in the weekly bulletin (Life and Liturgy). The committee also visited other churches that had been built or renovated to bring them up to Vatican II.

            The Parish Council and Administration Commission, whose duty it was to approve expenditures, recommended that money be set aside and strive to have a plan of action by January of 1980. In September of 1980, permission for the renovation was received from Archdiocesan officials, but it wasn't until April of 1981 that the actual renovation began. Anything salvageable was saved (if needed); other items were then put up for sale. The pews were sold and replaced by new interlocking chairs. The Sanctuary was converted into the Eucharistic Chapel. The altar was moved to the south wall of the church. New lighting and sound systems were installed, as well and carpeting throughout the entire church nave. 

            In October of 1981, construction drew to a close. On November 7, 1981, Archbishop Szoka arrived for the dedication of the worship space, though a few things had yet to be completed. The Baptistry (which was to be assembled from the marble of the old sanctuary), installation of the new organ and the stations of the cross were not yet finished. With the new arrangement of the Church, the parishioners’ fellowship grew as they became aware of one another and were drawn into active participation in the Liturgy.

            In July of 1985, after fifteen momentous years, Fr. Dave Weisner bid farewell to St. Louis and left for Our Lady of Good Council in Detroit. Fr. Dave passed away on September 27, 1998, after an unsuccessful battle with cancer.

            Fr. Pasquale LoGrasso came to St. Louis in 1985 from St. Louise in Warren, Michigan. During the late eighties the old church/gymnasium was renovated to what is now known as the Social Hall. The Old White Hall was torn down with the completion of the renovations, which would now hold the activities that the White Hall had hosted in the past.

            In 1988 Bethel Lutheran Church on Harper Avenue, along with nine other churches in Macomb County, initiated the MCREST Program (Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team), sheltering homeless individuals throughout the county. Deacon Don Junak and parish staffer Joyce Appelt led the participation of St. Louis. Many volunteers were needed to house, feed and provide other services for our guests. During his tenure, Fr. Larry became known for the scrumptious milk shakes he provided to the guests. The MCREST program continues in 2026. The parish provides monetary support and meals, as we no longer house the participants.

In 2004 a project to build a gazebo with a community brick walkway commenced. It was formally dedicated in 2006 to honor the work that Joyce Appelt had done for MCREST and the parish religious education program.

            Things at St. Louis continued as normal, though we said goodbye to many a music ministers and others who have moved on or moved away. We bid a happy retirement to Sister Rose Arnold and a saddened farewell to Monsignor John Gordon.

            In 2000, due to less Parishioners attending weekend Masses, St. Louis had to cut back to three Masses. The times were changed to 6:00pm Saturday, and 8:30 and 10:30am on Sundays. This arrangement lasted a little over a year as Saturday regulars felt the time was too late in the day, and so Saturday's time was switched back to 4:30pm effective in October 2001. It was also decided in 2000 that the stained-glass windows were in need of repair. Like so many other times, St. Louis needed to raise funds for this project. The people generously donated much of the money to handle the expenses.

            After a seventeen-year term as pastor, Fr. LaGrasso retired in June of 2002. His replacement, Fr. Anthony Sulkowski, grew up in Richmond, Michigan. Fr. "Tony" remained at St. Louis until June of 2007 when he was reassigned to St. Basil Parish in Eastpointe, Michigan.

At that time, Fr. Larry Pettke was transferred from St. Bede Parish in Southfield, Michigan to become our Pastor. In addition, Fr. Larry was assigned as administrator of St. Valerie Parish until its closure in 2009. 

When Fr. Larry began to have health difficulties in 2016, Fr. Bill Siebert would occasionally fill in for the Mass schedule. With great sorrow, the St. Louis Community learned of the passing of their beloved pastor on November 9, 2019. On Friday November 15^th, a funeral mass at St. Louis was officiated by Archbishop Allen Vigneron. The church was host to an overflow crowd of mourners including Parishioners from Fr. Larry's former parishes: Monroe St. Michael, Melvindale St. Magdalene, Harper Woods St. Peter, St. Bede and of course St. Louis. This remarkable event marked the first time a St. Louis pastor died while in active ministry. The love and respect for Fr. Larry was demonstrated by the large attendance and the fact the many mourners were attired in Detroit Red Wing jerseys, in honor of Fr. Larry's passion for the hockey team.

            With the vacancy left by Fr Larry's death, Fr. "Bill" Siebert continued to be the "weekend" pastor. Administration duties were left to Fr. Douglas Bignall, pastor of St. Hubert Parish. In 2022, the Archdiocese reorganized parishes from the Vicariate System to a new system of "Family of Parishes." St. Louis was part of a family that included St. Hubert, St. Peter and San Francesco parishes. Fr. John Maksym, a Navy JAG veteran, became the Moderator of this family of parishes and acting pastor of St. Louis. 

A year later, Fr. Christopher Muir was appointed Pastor while Fr. Maksym continued as Moderator. In July of 2025, Fr. Muir was reassigned to St. Gabriel Parish in Ida, Michigan. Fr. Maksym was reassigned as Moderator of a family of parishes based out of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral. Fr. Bignell reassumed the position of Moderator of the Family of Parishes that included St. Louis. At that time Fr. John Selvamony became the current Pastor at St. Louis.

            In addition to pastoral changes, the parish has undergone some physical changes in the last quarter century. But instead of construction, the period marked the removal of some buildings.  Fr. Sulkowski found the parish rectory to be in disrepair. When estimates for renovation were obtained, it was found to be extremely expensive. He moved into an apartment just north of St. Hubert Church. Fr. Pettke continued to reside there until 2008. At that time the old rectory was torn down, and the parish purchased a condo on Union Lake Road, just south of Metro Parkway. The now abandoned rectory was torn down in 2008.

            St. Louis High School closed in 1970. The building remained vacant until 1977 when Cardinal Mooney High School was initiated. The new school community remained until 1983 when it moved to a vacant L'Anse Creuse school and then moved permanently to Marine City. The old high school sat idle for many years and deteriorated to the point that it became an eyesore and was razed in 2013. That space remained vacant until 2020. At that time a memorial garden was created in honor of Fr. Larry Pettke. This area became known as "Larry Land" though the Archdiocese did not sanction the formal naming of the garden. In 2025, the Stations of the Cross were added to this site in anticipation of the Centennial celebrations of St. Louis Parish.

            Though membership in the parish continued to decline in the last quarter century, St. Louis continued to be a hub of both liturgical and social activities. The festival that the parish hosted was replaced by an annual one-day picnic. Initially this event was held off-site, but Fr. Pettke encouraged this event to occur on the parish campus. Many other events were added to the parish calendar, including an annual model train show, tai chi sessions, and other social events including card and game parties, senior dinners and other social events bringing parishioners together. In 2018 a knitting group (Fr. Larry referred to them as the "happy hookers") started. This group continues to this day but now meets at the Harrison Township Center. Other outreach programs were able to use St. Louis facilities, including AA meetings and a Spanish language Mass.

            The pandemic of 2020 challenged the entire nation, and the world for that matter. The community of St. Louis was fortunate that Laura Veryser was able to set up a Mass schedule that could be broadcast through Facebook. When State regulations made it possible, in-person Mass was resumed under the spacing guidelines that were in place at that time.

            Throughout the century, St. Louis has been a linchpin of the community. The tally of sacramental activity has been remarkable indeed. As of February 2026, this parish has administered the following sacramental milestones:

                                       9961 Baptisms

                                       7786 First Communions

                                       6324 Confirmations

                                       3212 Marriages

                                       3548 Funerals

            St. Louis continues to thrive in terms of religious education. In 2023, the old school building was extensively refurbished to host religious education to all four parishes in the Family of Parishes under the direction of Fr. Maksym.

            In its 100 years of existence, St. Louis Parish has planted and pruned when necessary. Its people have learned to cope through the overwhelming tenacious growth and tender cutbacks. They have learned the reality that no achievement is possible unless it constantly changes to adjust to new circumstances. Continued personal sacrifice and difficult effort have been required to build and sustain our common unity. For it is through the growth we have met each other and through the difficulties we have come to know each other. We have come to the true love of Christ together as a family of God.

            This history was originally compiled by L. Veryser for the 75th anniversary. Ed Bonne edited that portion and compiled the history of the last 25 years for this publication.