The historic Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament is truly a sight to behold in Detroit’s North End. Its construction in the Gothic Revival style began in 1913. The Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Detroit, which Archbishop Vigneron refers to as “everyone’s second parish.”The Cathedral is home to a parish community and also provides opportunities for active engagement in art, culture, education, and service. The Cathedral provides a venue for the performance of rarely-heard organ and choral music by critically acclaimed artists in an acoustically rich environment, and is home to the Cathedral Choir Academy, where youth of all faiths can learn to sign choral music.

“Every Catholic should visit the Cathedral at some point to feel the special presence of Jesus in the church where the Archbishop is Pastor, where the Holy Oils are consecrated, where priests are ordained and other special Masses take place. There is a special holy presence here,” says Christine Broses, Worship Coordinator and Pastoral Associate for the Cathedral.

Marian Bart, Evangelization Coordinator for the Cathedral adds, “The structure itself is a long-standing landmark of grace in the middle of what is right now a very challenged neighborhood. The bells ringing out over Woodward during the Consecration of the Eucharist still call everyone to the table of the Lord: ‘Come on in. Sit here a while. Bask in my radiance. Be at peace. Be together. Be fed.’”

When the Cathedral received a large gift from the bequest of an elderly woman who passed away, the parish leadership decided to honor her gift and put all of the funds into an endowment held by the Catholic Foundation. This permanent fund will hold its principal in perpetuity and is invested, in accordance with Catholic values, to grow the fund. The endowment’s annual distributions are a source of income that the Cathedral can count on for generations to come.

“It was easy and stress-free to open our account. The Catholic Foundation has been open to meeting and answering any questions we have had.”

—Christine Broses, Worship Coordinator and Pastoral Associate for the Cathedral.

“It was easy and stress-free to open our account. The Catholic Foundation has been open to meeting and answering any questions we have had. We know many of the Foundation’s board members who are outstanding members of the church and their own communities,” Christine shares about the staff’s experience setting up the Cathedral’s endowment.

The Cathedral needs financial support from the Catholic community. “Many people believe that we are fully funded by the Archdiocesan annual Catholic Services Appeal, but in fact all of the money we receive from the Archdiocese goes to pay for, but does not fully cover, the upkeep of our beautiful old building,” Christine explains.

“Situated as we are, above midtown in still-tough economic times, has been a challenge. The Catholic Foundation has given us a sense that moving forward with the Archbishop’s hopes for us to become an apostolic center of arts and culture is actually possible,” Marian elaborates.

By supporting the Cathedral’s endowment, the community will be assured of future income to maintain this beautiful structure and unleash the Gospel in the Archdiocese of Detroit. There are many ways to support the Cathedral.

“Give to the Endowment. Introduce us to philanthropists. Volunteer here to be a tour docent, a wedding assistant, a small-group leader, an altar server, a musician…there are many possibilities!” Marian shares.

Support the Cathedral Endowment

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