St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish at 120 E. Wesley Street, Jackson, MI 49201-2341 US - History of Parish

Mission Statement

We, the people of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish, in union with the Bishop of Lansing and the Bishop of Rome, are empowered by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and called to communion at the Lord's Altar. We are a diverse family who celebrate our Catholic faith together in an historic downtown church. We seek to grow in that faith through providing opportunities for prayer, worship, education, and quality child care. We commit ourselves to affirm, strengthen, and extend our family through Christian Service, and by promotion of God's Justice and Peace.


History of our Church

In 1880, Bishop Casper Henry Borgess of the Detroit Diocese, approved the establishment of a second Catholic parish in the city of Jackson.

On June 14, 1881, Robert Lake was contracted to build a new church.  It was to be Gothic style and of brick with the steeple rising 180 feet.  The cornerstone was laid July 4, 1881.  "Finely finished and furnished" (Deland's History of Jackson County), it would seat six hundred people and the cost was just over $30,000.  Within 20 years, the first church had become inadequate in size.  Admission cards were issued to parishioners for Mass attendance.

In 1910, plans were announced for a new church, and the pastor and church trustees traveled to Europe, viewing some of the most beautiful cathedrals.  Building plans were delayed by World War I, but finally on Sunday, September 23, 1923, the cornerstone was laid.  The basement was ready and used for Midnight Mass on Christmas, 1923.  However, a prolonged strike in the limestone industry delayed progress and it was not completed until 1926.  On May 31, 1926, Bishop Joseph C. Plagens officiated at the dedication.  The cost of the new church was approximately $375,000. 

Frederick Spier of Detroit designed the Romanesque structure.  It is constructed of steel framework with an exterior limestone veneer, and is a combination of Byzantine and traditional Romanesque architecture.  The front of the church originally featured two lighthouses where wrought iron lamps reside today.

The steeple rises 180 feet.  The southwest corner houses the 2,700 pound bell, cast in 1902 for the parish's original church.  All three towers are capped with copper sheeting, which is curved to meet at the top with a wood post that supports a 6' x 3' x 6' gold-leafed metal clad cross.

The front features three sets of double doors of copper and bronze.  Over the entrance is a figure of Mary and the words "Domus Mea Domus Orationis Est" which translated from the Latin is  "My House is a House of Prayer" (Isaiah 56:7).



Inside the Church...

All of the stained glass windows, stations of the cross, and mosaic "Our Lady Star of the Sea" were purchased after WWI from Tyrolese Art Glass Company in Innsbruck, Austria for $22,000.  The windows are said to be the finest in the country.  In 1961, they were appraised for $150,000; today they would be priceless.  The Stations of the Cross were appraised at $16,000 at that time.

Mary; Joseph; St. Anne with Mary; Divine Mercy; St. Therese; St. Roch; Pius X; the communion rail and back altar are all Italian carrera marble.  The altars and communion rails were a donation by George Washington Hill (1884-1946).  Mr. Hill was the president of the American Tobacco Company at the time.  The red and green colors of the mosaic work on the main altar correspond to the original colors on a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes. 




(more to come.....)