Founded in 1924, St. Rita Catholic Church initially took root on Detroit’s northeast side. At that time, its congregation comprised a small group of 12 to 30 people, hailing from various corners of the neighborhood. Their inaugural meeting was a humble affair, conducted in a handful of uncompleted storefronts along 8 Mile Road, courtesy of a local merchant. In a scene of devout simplicity, parishioners gathered around an altar made of only a plank and stone, sitting on lumber piles ingeniously repurposed as makeshift pews. Father Thomas J. Carroll, appointed just days before, presided over the congregation.

With time, the small community expanded, numbering 150 members not long after its foundation. Forced to relocate as storefronts found tenants, they continued their spiritual gatherings in a parishioner’s home and even commandeered the auditorium of Lacey High School in Hazel Park. 

A significant milestone was the groundbreaking ceremony for a new wooden sanctuary on East State Fair Avenue on May 1, 1924. Just a few months after construction started, the community had its first Mass in the still-uncompleted basement of the new building. By October that year, the burgeoning congregation demanded four separate Masses to accommodate its growing numbers. The community didn’t stop there; they added an elementary school to the site in 1926 and a high school in 1946, all while the church’s membership swelled to over 1,200 families.

Realizing the need for a more expansive space, a transitional church was erected on Hawthorne Avenue in 1946, cleverly designed to later serve as the school’s gymnasium. A convent began construction in 1949, and on May 2, 1954, the cornerstone was laid for a new, modern church built in a modified Romanesque style. Cardinal Edward Mooney formally dedicated the structure on December 3, 1954.

The post-war era saw St. Rita’s congregation flourish, eventually swelling to over 3,000 families. Distinguished from other Catholic parishes in Detroit, St. Rita took a stand for integration and fought against the things that were tearing apart communities. However, challenges loomed; a new high school was built in 1969 (nice), but with it came unsustainable financial pressures. By 1975, the school had closed and the property was leased to Detroit Public Schools until 2005.

Despite the growth of earlier years, the exodus to the suburbs severely depleted St. Rita’s membership, dwindling it down to just 100 regular members by 2007. A merger with St. Bartholomew ensued in 2008, but even this alliance was short-lived, dissolving in 2014.

Sold to New Providence Baptist Church in the years that followed, St. Rita underwent renovations to serve as an outreach campus. Despite best efforts, the church struggled to attract a stable congregation and fell victim to multiple break-ins. Finally, in 2015, Promise Land Missionary Baptist Church acquired the building, initiating another round of clean-up and renovation. Around 2016, the church became active once again, but the once vibrant convent and school still stand as empty shells, silent witnesses to a rich, albeit turbulent, history.

Full Photo Gallery: