St Mary's Parish Church

The history of St. Mary parish spans over 200 years, 35 pastors, three church buildings, and is populated by the countless lives of its parishioners. Our parish reflects the evolution of Catholics in our county of Monroe. The parish has survived wars, the generous and hard seasons of agriculture and economy, and its own tempests.

Founded in 1788 as St. Antoine du Padua (St. Anthony of Padua) by its French-Canadian habitants (residents), it was located along the main river called the Riviere aux Raisins (the River of Grapes, named for the wild grapevines sprawling along the river.) The small parish was assigned its first pastor from Quebec in 1794, and was ministered to by pastors from Ste. Anne in Detroit whenever without a resident priest. Its early territory covered area to Sandusky, Ohio and westward into Indiana.

It might surprise some to know that these fledgling Catholic pioneer parishes were ministered to by missionary priests from Belgium and France. The first American ordination was of subdeacon Stephen Theodore Badin who was born in France and left there in 1792 during the Reign of Terror, who finished his studies and was ordained in 1793. After ministering in Kentucky, he returned to France in the 1820s, and for a brief period served in the Detroit area, including St. Antoine’s here at the River Raisin.

The early period of establishing settlement could often be a challenge, and this spilled over into church affairs. Often the priests with their strict theological education found it difficult to religiously mold their often independent thinking parishioners, who thought that the priests were there is serve them, and not interfere with their lives.

When St. Antoine parish came under the care of the Redemptorist order in 1845, the parish name was changed to St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception. Unfortunately, the order was not able to continue in Monroe (mainly for economic reasons), and the parish was placed in the diocese of Detroit, which it is in today.

In the early 1800s immigrants came first to St. Antoine/St. Mary’s- the Irish, Germans, Belgians, followed by the Italians, other Europeans, and Latinos. Other county Catholic parishes were founded along ethnic lines, but St. Mary’s could be called the “mother” parish of them all.