Contacts & Publisher

Subscription Form

Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  A missionary makeover

by Jared Field of The Michigan Catholic
Published November 13, 2009

Jared Field | The Michigan Catholic Msgr. James Moloney, director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith for the Archdiocese of Detroit, celebrated Mass Sunday as part of the rededication of the refurbished building.

Detroit - A long overdue $7.7-million makeover has returned the 80-year-old headquarters of the PIME Missionaries of North America to the eye-catching beauty of her youth.

The newly remodeled facility, just adjacent to the campus of The University of Detroit-Mercy on Quincy Street in north Detroit, has been the home to the missionaries since 1978, though PIME (the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions) has had a presence in Detroit since 1947. Cardinal Edward Mooney first invited the missionaries to Detroit after seeing their work among the poor in India.

Originally the home of the Sisters of Mary Reparatrix, dating back to 1929, the structure had been in need of considerable repairs since it was purchased by PIME 30 years ago. It was in rough enough shape that the possibility of relocating was considered in 2001. PIME sought a buyer for the Quincy Street property and attempted to move forward with the purchase of a 20-acre parcel in Novi.

Some years later, after the election of a new leadership team, it was decided that the group's roots ran far too deep in the city.

They were here to stay.

Fr. Ken Mazur, PIME's North American Regional Superior, said that in spite of the disrepair of the building and its 39 roof leaks, staying in Detroit was the best option.

Jared Field | The Michigan Catholic Fr. Dino Vanin, PIME’s treasurer and a master woodworker, repurposed wood from inside the building to create many of the chapel’s furnishings. He recently fashioned this cross in the workshop beneath the church. Jared Field | The Michigan Catholic Fr. Ken Mazur, PIME’s North American regional superior, lived in the building throughout the renovation, moving from room to room chasing electricity and warm water. Fr. Mazur is pictured in the newly remodeled conference room that pays tribute to the 18 PIME martyrs going back 150 years. Jared Field | The Michigan Catholic The North American headquarters of the PIME Missionaries, located at 17333 Quincy St., Detroit, was originally built to house the Sisters of Mary Reparatrix in 1929.

"After going back and forth, the community decided, about three years ago, to stay here because it's centrally located and we're missionaries," Fr. Mazur said.

"As foreign missionaries, we are called to live a simple lifestyle. We felt this could be best accomplished in the city."

Demolition work inside the 70,000 square foot building began in September 2007.

Gone are the 45 "cells" - as many nuns called them - that once made up the facility's third floor. As part of the project, nine resident suites, 14 single guest rooms - all on the second and third floors - a library, living room, kitchen and dining area were constructed to make the former convent feel more like a home.

The first floor now houses all of the offices for the mission centers and a museum room filled with artifacts from many of the countries served by PIME.

Great care was taken to maintain the integrity of the building, in which more than 350 windows were replaced. A first floor chapel, used by priests for private daily Masses, was entirely remodeled using repurposed wood from other parts of the building.

"What was once a shelf in the basement is now part of an altar," said Fr. Mazur, who praised the work of Fr. Dino Vanin, PIME's treasurer and master woodworker who built the chapel's furnishings. "The result is beautiful and functional. It's amazing how much we were able to reuse."

It was a labor of love for Fr. Vanin, whose traces his skill from a lineage of cabinet makers in Italy.

"The work was enjoyable; I did it in my spare time and I looked forward to it," said Fr. Vanin, who worked nearly six months on the project. "I didn't do this for myself ... it was a lot of work ... it was challenging, but it was fun."

Fr. Mazur said that he hopes the renovation will help PIME bring people in from other countries to study, especially young people who may want to join its mission.

"We have a center now where we can do training for volunteers and seminarians," he said. "We plan to use it a lot."

Young men from all over the world who are studying for the priesthood with PIME are sent to the Detroit location to learn English. In 2007, 13 missionaries lived at the facility. Currently, two seminarians and six priests are housed there. Fourteen lay people staff the center offices and house.

Founded in northern Italy in 1850, PIME is a Catholic organization of priests, brothers and lay persons who are charged to work among the poorest people in the world. There are currently more than 500 PIME members worldwide.