Our History
During the summer of 1907, several families in the southwestern area of Detroit came together in hope of establishing an Orthodox Church in their neighborhood. They had originally emigrated from an area of Eastern Europe known as Galicia, the home of the Carpatho-Rusyn people. After contacting St. Theodosius Cathedral in Cleveland, OH, the first liturgy was celebrated and Ss. Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, under the Russian Metropolia was organized in November 1907, becoming the first Orthodox congregation in the state of Michigan.
For the first year the congregation met in a rented facility and moved to its present site acquired in 1908. Shortly afterward, a wooden church was built on the property and in 1912 the first parish school building was built behind the church.
In 1916, a committee was formed to formulate plans for a new church. Due to many challenges, the new church was finally constructed some 33 years later. Designed by architects Howard Simons and Frank Herman, groundbreaking occurred on April 14, 1948, with the cornerstone laid on July 11, 1948 and the dedication on November 24, 1949. Nicholas Zadorojny, a well known iconographer during the post World-War II era was contracted to paint the interior of the new church building. He spent the next several years painting the iconography on the walls of the church.
The parish thrived in SW Detroit throughout the decades. A full liturgical life as well as social life anchored the immigrant community. So many children attended the church that a large school building was erected in 1964. The parish choir reached over 50 voices, often directed by professional choir directors from Europe and the U.S.
In the year 2000, in recognition that Sts. Peter & Paul parish is the oldest Orthodox church in the State of Michigan, being regarded as the “mother church” among the Orthodox communities in the state, and in light that the faithful members “accepted with joy the new opportunities and challenges of urban ministry”, his Grace, Bishop +JOB (of blessed memory) elevated the parish to the dignity of cathedral status.
Today: Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Cathedral is a family-friendly community equipped with a play-scape and Sunday School program for the kids. Parish life includes Bible Studies, potlucks, festivals, and most importantly the offering of the rich services of the Orthodox Faith. See the website Calendar for all events.
Ss. Peter and Paul Mission Center: the Mission Center is equipped with a full commercial kitchen, a clothing and food pantry, and a space for Orthodox Detroit Outreach (ODO), and other Orthodox ministries, to serve the inner city of SW Detroit. The primary activity of the Mission Center at this time is the cooking and serving of a Sunday Meal every Sunday at 2 PM to the community. Over the years more than 10,000 meals have been served, by the grace of God. Orthodox Christians and scores of neighbors, young and old, volunteer at the Mission Center throughout the year. If God is calling you to be a “Missionary,” consider joining or volunteering here.
Within our Diocese, parishes in the greater Detroit area are beginning to send “missionaries” to worship and serve with us at Sts. Peter & Paul Cathedral, helping revitalize our inner city presence.
We welcome you to join us as we struggle to remain faithful to our Lord, serving our neighbors as Christ in our midst, and striving to discern His will for our missionary ministry together.
It is our prayer to Almighty God that the vision and hope of many righteous souls who have gone before us might be further realized and fulfilled through our continuing labor of love in the days to come.