In 1853 the people decided they wanted a catholic church and in 1854 the first of four St, Clement churches was built on Van Dyke between Church Street.

St. Clement

In 1854 the first St. Clement church was built on Van Dyke.  Before this little wooden church was built on Church Road (now Engleman) and the centre line, residents had made long rides to St. Mary's in downtown Detroit or Assumption on Gratiot at Six Mile Road.  In bad weather the roads were almost impassible.  The wagons had no heaters in winter.  The community known as Kunrod’s corners was centered around State Road (now Sherwood) and Ten Mile Road which was a dirt or mud path.  The local citizens who were mostly immigrants from Germany, Ireland, France and Belgium, decided that then wanted a church in the nearby area.  The St Clement Parish was established in 1850 and met in local homes.  An actual church building was not constructed until four years later.  The local people decided that they wanted a church to be built on the west side of the “Centre Line”.  This was the center road of Warren Township (now Van Dyke).  They felt that they would not be able to get to church in the spring and fall when the roads turned to mud seas, especially over by Kunrod’s corners as this was the lowest area near by the creek.  Also more residents lived nearer to the East side location.  Peter Rotarius donated two acres of his land on the land on the west side of the “Centre line”.  Next to him was Johann Weingartz who donated an acre.  Later Mathias and Josepf Miller donated two acres of land they had been given as payment for work they had done for Joseph Cramer.  The community voted to establish on the East side of the centre line.   Additional properties were donated and several parcels of land were raffled and the money used to buy six acres of the Cramer-Clemens farm.  The parish may have been named St Clement after Mr. Clemens.  The parish boundaries were from Woodward to Lake St Clair and from Eight Mile to Fourteen Mile Roads.    In 1854 a simple wood frame church building was built.  In 1857 a one-room school was erected.  The parish was served by visiting priests until 1858 when Father Henry Meuffels became the first resident priest.    In 1868 an addition was put on to the wood frame church. 

In trying to read the pastors writing as I worked on this history, I was told that they went to a different school of handwriting.  I don’t know about that but they sure sometimes got careless about good penmanship.  When all of the letters look like undotted i’s than something is wrong.  Plus I had to buy two Latin books to figure out the meanings as the records are in Latin.  Father William Hendrickx became the pastor in 1868.  He spoke several languages.  In 1880 a new brick St Clement was built based on the plans for the Sacred heart Church in Detroit.  Its dimensions were 136 feet by 54 with five entrances and fifteen stained glass windows.  It cost $18,000.  Later the frame church was removed in order to build a new brick school with two classrooms and an auditorium.  In 1890 the new Pastor Father Kramer convinced three sisters of Providence of St Mary’s of the Woods, Vigo County Indiana to come here to teach.

They were replaced in 1892 by the Sisters of St. Dominic from Racine, Wisconsin.  In 1896 an upper story was added to the small schoolhouse and was quickly turned into a hall where school children put on plays and held recitals. 

The Official St Clement’s history states that picnics were held across from the church in Engleman grove and that a platform was built for dancing and a German Band played music.

By the year 1916, 182 students were enrolled at St. Clement School. That number rose to 600 students by 1920. The pressing need for a new and larger school led to the construction of a two-story, 16 room brick and concrete school. It had a high school and auditorium with a 1,000 seat capacity. The first high school graduating class, in 1926, consisted of one  person Ester Delia Schnoblen (Smith). In 1952 Father Timothy Murray became pastor of St. Clement and ground was broken for a new school to accommodate 1,300 students.  In 1960 work was begun on the present modern church with 65 foot-high vaulted ceiling, gables forming a cross, hundreds of panes of stained glass and seating capacity for 1,600.  It also has a 130 foot bell tower.

1854  The first wooden St Clement church was built on the Center Line Road in 1854. The first brick St Clement Church was built in 1880.

The First Methodist Church of Warren (see 1st foto top left) was started about 1853 and a log chapel built.  This building was replace d in 1857.  It is now the oldest structure within the Warren Village area. This church first stood to the east of the Warren Union Cemetery on the side of the Creek Road (Chicago Road).  It was moved to its present location at Seventh and Fillmore in 1884. 

Some of the oldest structures in Warren lie hidden inside some of the older houses.  One would find hand hewn beams and may be wooden pegs.

St Paul’s on Mound was in built 1864.  Services,  books, and records were all in German there for many years because the congregation felt more comfortable speaking and hearing their own native language rather than English.

The Community Church in Center Line was built in 1924.

Above Redeemer Baptist Church before it grew and moved to Hoover N of 11 Mile

The Bethel Methodist Church on Packard in Center Line was built in the 1920’s.

The Trinity Lutheran Church is located one block south of Stephens and one block East of Van Dyke at 8150 Chapp in Warren.

History of At Anne Parish

(From the church web site with added notes by Historian Wesley Arnold)

 In August 1943, four mothers from the Village of Warren area went to the Chancery Office to see Archbishop Mooney regarding religious instruction for the children of the village. The Archbishop assured them that instruction classes would be started, but could give them little assurance of a parish due to the number of priests then engaged as Chaplains in the War

In September 1943, instruction classes were begun in the Sisters' convent on Van Dyke, the Motherhouse of the Slovak-Dominican Sisters.

This arrangement served as a partial solution, but lack of space in the convent, and transportation problems due to the war, were factors to be met and overcome. In the Spring of 1944, Mr. Norman Halmich, then Postmaster and Storekeeper, displayed in his store a petition to be signed by Catholic parents for religious instruction of children in Warren.

            In late June, 1944, the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart, four in number, opened a vacation school in an empty store on Chicago Road.  This, too, was inadequate, in space, so the vacation school was mainly held under the trees in the Village Park. In the Fall the same Mission Helpers returned to Warren weekly for Saturday instructions, held in the Village Barn.  The village bar had been built about 30 years before by John Warner.  Meetings were often held there from about 1935-1945 for old and young who enjoyed square dances. It had been the home for the WJBK "Barn Dance" Program.

In December, a Christmas Program was conducted in the Barn for the  parents and children.  It was at this meeting that discussion arose regarding the possibility of establishing a parish in Warren.  Enthusiasm ran high, with the result that a total of $2,500.00 was donated for a parish.  The money was forwarded to the Chancery Office for future use.

In March of 1945, announcement was made from the Chancery Office that a parish was to be established in the vicinity of Mound and 13 Mile Roads.  Fr. Frank J. Walsh was given the assignment. 

Among the men attending the next meeting at the Doctor's home was the late Mr. Norman Halmich who graciously donated five acres of land on Mound Road at Arden Avenue.  Later on, foreseeing the future need of the parish he donated another five acres adjacent to the original five, which now comprises the present parish property.

The First Church was the Warren Village Barn, which was purchased for $14,000.  The first Mass was said in the remodeled barn Easter Sunday April, 1946.  At this time there were 225 families.

St. Anne Parish originally comprised twenty square miles, from 12 Mile to 16 Mile Roads, and from Dequindre to Schoenherr.  Due to the enormous growth of the City of Warren, other parishes were established.

Ground for the new Church was broken on April 5th, 1964, and the twenty-year dream became a reality.

In the summer of 1977 plans were made to renovate St. Anne Church.

St. Edmund Parish

(From the church web site)

Fr. McGoldrick began his pastorate by immediately organizing the St. Edmund Parish community.  Sunday masses were held in the gymnasium of Charwood School on Schoenherr north of 11-Mile Rd.   With the assistance of priests from the Passionist Monastary in Detroit, three masses 7:30, 8:30am and 1pm were celebrated every Sunday.

Meantime, St. Edmund Parish grew to approximately 2,500 families, necessitating the aid of an assistant pastor and a new church.  Fr. Joseph F. Janes was appointed the first assistant.

A permanent church was built and its dedication took place on April 19,1969.  The church is distinctive in its simple basic design reflecting a concept of community spirit and openness. The spacious interior is uncluttered allowing for freedom of expression in keeping with the architectural design of churches built after Vatican II.

St. Edmund’s has known three pastors, Fr. William McGoldrick1961-1988; Msgr. Gerald Martin 1988-1991; and present pastor, Fr. Robert Witkowski.

Approximately 2300 families are registered at St. Edmund’s.  Mass is celebrated daily at 9am except Saturday.  There is a liturgy on Saturday at 5:30pm and on Sunday at 8:30am, 10am and 12 Noon.

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