By CatholicVote | Created at 2024-11-21 16:11:23 | Updated at 2024-11-21 20:55:58
4 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP) has purchased a 4.2-acre lot near Detroit’s St. Joseph Shrine, where it plans to build a middle school and social hall as part of a long-term development project.
The lot, purchased for $2.5 million, will serve as the cornerstone of the ICKSP’s long-term development plans, Detroit Catholic reported.
Currently a neglected field used for auxiliary parking during Detroit Lions games and the Shrine’s Oktoberfest festival, the lot will be transformed as part of a multi-phase project estimated at $10-$20 million.
Plans include fencing the property, installing a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue, creating a pedestrian walkway across the Dequindre Cut, and building a social hall and middle school, along with establishing an endowment to fund the school’s operations.
While the ICKSP sponsors schools in France and Belgium, this will be their first school in the United States, Detroit Catholic reported.
The land acquisition and development plans follow the ICKSP’s appointment to care for St. Joseph Shrine in October 2016.
“For the past eight years, we have seen constant growth and support, which tells us we certainly can do more,” said Canon Jean-Baptiste Commins, pastor of St. Joseph Shrine.
He later added that the recent purchase is a “beacon of hope for people in the city and outsiders coming in that there is growth in the city of Detroit, and that our commitment, the institute’s commitment, to the city of Detroit is here to stay.”
Canon Commins explained that the recent campaign is privately funded by anonymous donors, separate from the Shrine’s historic renewal project, to ensure the restoration effort remains the primary focus.
The Institute hopes to break ground on the project as soon as possible. The first thing to be done, according to Canon Commins, is to place a large statue featuring the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the property, so that “when people are driving down Gratiot toward downtown, they see by the corner of the property the statue of the Sacred Heart, and in the background, the city skyline.”
Canon Commins said that this placement aims to symbolize entrusting the project to Divine Providence, reflecting the belief that the Sacred Heart of Jesus will bless all endeavors.
