Parish Beginnings
St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church was founded on June 1st of 1889. It was the fourth Polish-speaking parish established in the city of Detroit. It was founded in response to irregularities and disagreements taking place in the neighboring parishes of Sweetest Heart of Mary and St. Albertus. On February 2nd, 1890, the first combination church and school building was dedicated. Within a decade plans were made for a new church, rectory and convent.

In 1907, the convent was completed. The Parish Elementary School and High School were staffed by the Felician Sisters. (For more information about the school, see School.)
The Complex was listed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1982.

The Church Architecture
In 1901 this late Victorian Romanesque style church was completed by Joseph G. Kastler and William B. N. Hunter. Local carpenters, Harcus and Lang and the Jermolowicz Brothers, were the builders. The church also features some gothic and Baroque details.

St. Josaphat Church is built of a red orange brick and is trimmed in Bedford Indiana buff limestone. The stained glass was crafted by the Detroit Stained Glass Works. The church is 132 feet long and 56 feet wide. The ceilings are 65 feet high and the seating capacity is 1200. The main steeple is 200 feet tall while the side steeples are each 100 feet tall.

All of the sacred images of the church are illuminated by a myriad of tiny light bulbs. The church was originally built with both gas and electric which can be seen by observing the fixtures throughout the church At the turn of the century there was a great fascination with the electric light bulb which is clearly witnessed in St. Josaphat Church.

The Art Work
The interior of the church features five beautiful altars. The main altar is centered around a painting of the patron of the parish, St. Josaphat dressed in the vestments of an eastern rite bishop. This painting can also be raised to reveal a beautiful image of Our Lady of Czestochowa, the “Black Madonna.” On either side of the central image are figures of Ss. Stanislaus Kostka & Aloysius Gonzaga.

The side altars in the sanctuary are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. They also feature figures of Ss. Joachim & Anne and Ss. Peter & Paul. In the transept of the church are altars dedicated to Ss. Anthony of Padua and Francis of Assisi. Figures of St. Clare and St. Theresa of Avila. are also found there.

The stained glass windows feature Mary & Joseph and the twelve apostles. The woodwork throughout the church is white oak.

Throughout the church a beautiful collection of murals can be seen on the ceiling and walls. Above the high altar the Most Holy Trinity is pictured. On the left and right of this are the Nativity and the Last Supper. The Resurrection is also portrayed. On the side walls of the sanctuary are murals of a Pilgrimage to Czestochowa and a Battle during World War I between Polish and Russian forces. The Poles were victorious due to the miraculous intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The central transept of the church features images of the four evangelists. Over the nave of the church is a unique image of Mary the Queen of Poland surrounded by the saints of Poland. Other images to be found are Holy Family, St. Cecilia, and Christ and the children.

Above the four confessionals are murals depicting the expulsion of Adam & Eve from the garden of paradise, St. Peter’s denial of Christ, the return of the prodigal son and Mary Magdalene drying Christ’s feet with her hair.