SQ – Rogue, Rebel, Renegade Multi-Cache

The SQ in the cache name above signifies Spirit Quest, a project to distinguish those caches that are set in cemeteries or memorial gardens. This is a good distinction to put on this type of cache and would like to see it used here in Michigan. Please be respectful of the area, and observe their rules and posted hours, Only visit cemeteries dawn to dusk through out the state unless other hours are posted, so that we do not end up like other states that do not allow any caches placed in any cemeteries!

St. Mary’s Cemetery hours are as follows:
May 1st to Oct 1st 9am to 5:30pm
Oct 2nd to April 30th 8am to 4:30pm

A Rogue, A Rebel and A Renegade… my kind of guy! These are names that were hung on Father Dominic Hippolytus Kolasiñski, a Polish Catholic Priest that changed and formed part of the history of Detroit.
Dominic Hippolytus Kolasiñski was born August 7, 1838 in Poland and died at 59 years old in Detroit April 11, 1898, Easter Sunday morning.

Father Kolasiñski was described as a charming and very charismatic man that was also a visionary and had a strong belief in building the Polish community of Detroit, and the Catholic Church. He was brought to Detroit to take over the pastoral duties at St. Albertus parish at St. Auburn and (now known as) Canfield in 1882. At this time the church had about 750 family congregation and a school for Polish immigrants. This history and controversy started right away as he proposed and moved forward in building a new church building that would put the Poles in the fore front of the Catholic Church by having the largest church in Michigan. With this it would take funds that had to be approved by the Bishop, and was for $61,000.00. Though favored by some, 80% of the church membership was apposed to the building of a new church as the old one was only 13 years old. The new church was built with the capacity to hold 2,500 people and was equipped with steam heat and incandescent electric lighting, the first of its kind in the area. With the new church being blessed and opened on July 4, 1885 it started to grow right away and by the years end they had a congregation of more than 1,000 families. Unfortunately with everything going as this visionary had fore seen in success the bitter feeling of those apposed to the new building divided the congregation to the point that December of 1885 the patrons were rioting with each other. The faction against Father Kolasiñski wanted his priesthood revoked and to be removed from the parish. The riots were so bad that on Christmas 1885 John Lemke, a 24 year old, was shot and killed. The group petitioned Bishop Borgess to remove Father Kolasiñski for mismanagement of monies, and though the Bishop approved the new church he removed the father and had his priesthood. Though Father Kolasiñski ignored the ruling and even petitioned it, the court backed the Bishop and Kolasiñski was removed. This action was emotional that St. Albertus was closed for all but 5 days during the next 16 months, at this time Father Kolasiñski was off to the Dakota Territories to open a new rural Polish church.

Those followers of Father Kolasiñski formed there own community which by August 1886 included a school. John Samuel Foley was installed as the new bishop of Detroit on November 24, 1888, Father Kolasiñski returned to the city on December 8, 1888. It was his hope that his case would be reviewed by the new bishop and he would be reinstated, but that did not happen. February 11, 1889 Father Kolasiñski, along with his followers, established Sweetest Heart of St. Mary outside of the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church of Detroit. Because of this those at the nearby St. Albertus that apposed Father Kolasiñski, rioting started once again and once again, this time Christmas Eve, Joseph Bolda, only 19 was killed. Even with this the new parish grew so quickly that a new and grand church building broke ground on June 5, 1892 only 2 blocks from the first grand new church that Father Kolasiñski raised in Detroit. The new church building was regaled as “The most beautiful Gothic structure in the State of Michigan”, the church was completed in 1893. During the building years Father Kolasiñski continued to speak out in the way he was treated by the Catholic Church of Detroit, these efforts paid off. Archbishop Satolli in Rome ordered Bishop Foley (Detroit) to make peace and to reinstate Father Kolasiñski and admit his, now more than 4,000 family parish, back into the Diocese of Detroit on February 18,1984. The national depression of the 1890’s took its toll on the new church. The building was erected at the cost of $125,000.00 was burdened with a large debt was forced into being sold at auction and sold for $30,000.00. After protesting the court and securing a $65,000.00 loan, the church was purchased back for $45,000.00, the rest of the funding came from a very faithful congregation mortgaged their own home to keep this parish alive.

In the end, Father Kolasiñski’s work in Detroit took its toll and he passed at just 59 on Easter Sunday. The papers said that more than 35,000 people came to pay their respects to this controversial and dedicated man of the cross. His funeral was attended by more than 10,000 people, he is now at rest here in this cemetery.