Our History |
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Mission Statement
The History of Our Church Our history began more than five years ago, when the people of two parishes - St. Francis de Sales and Precious Blood - agreed to merge. The idea of the merger was the brainchild of Deacon Wyatt L. Jones, Jr., then parish administrator of Precious Blood. Soon after assuming his duties at Precious Blood in 2002, it became clear to him that eventually there would be only three options for the future of that parish: (1) double the congregation; (2) merge with a neighboring parish; or (3) close. And the same options were facing Fr. James E. O'Reilly, S.J., pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish. Conversations between the two parish councils began in the early spring of 2005. The Councils decided that the two parishes should worship together, once a month. After only two worship services, people from both parishes were saying, “We are family; we’re just worshiping in two buildings.” By May, 2005, Cardinal Adam Maida gave his approval of the plan to merge the two congregations within the year. At a Town Hall meeting of both parishes, also in May, the decision to unite was affirmed. Worship for the new parish would be at soon-to-be former Precious Blood site, with auxiliary meeting space (to be known as “The Annex”) at the soon-to-be-former St. Francis de Sales Church, a little more than a mile away. Members of both congregations gathered at Sacred Heart Major Seminary for a two-day retreat in August. At that time, it was jointly decided to name this new parish for St. Peter Claver, a Spanish-born Jesuit who ministered to the slave population of Columbia during the 17th century. He witnesses to what it means to be Roman Catholic in a society filled with poor and powerless people, where injustice is common and hope can seem fleeting. In September, parishioners began worshiping together every Sunday. In mid-November, we separated for the last Sunday of that liturgical year, the Feast of Christ the King, to celebrate the closing of St. Francis de Sales and Precious Blood Parishes. |
Rev. James E. O'Reilly, S.J., |
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 “Let nothing disturb thee, nothing affright thee; all things are passing; God never changeth.” – St. Teresa of Àvila | Rev. James O'Reilly,S.J. was ordained in 1957; he spent twenty-four years at St. Ignatius High, Cleveland, Ohio, three years before ordination and twenty-one years after ordination. Areas of involvement were teaching, counseling, coaching and also administration. Upon leaving St. Ignatius, he spent six years at Walsh Jesuit, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, after which he was missioned to Loyola Secondary School, in Wau, Sudan. Following his return to the United States, he was at Colombiere Spirituality Center. After two years he was appointed sacramental minister for St. Mary's and St. Francis de Sales Parishes, in Toledo, Ohio. After five years in Toledo, he joined the faculty at Loyola High School, here in Detroit, where he was acting president for a year; later, he became a counselor at the school and pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church. Throughout these years, he has also been involved with spiritual direction and retreat work. When Precious Blood and St. Francis de Sales Parishes merged, five years ago, Fr. O’Reilly was installed as Founding Pastor, with Deacon Wyatt L. Jones, III, as Pastoral Associate. Thank You, Fr. O!! |
