Although the skyline of the city has changed with the competition to build the tallest building in Grand Rapids, one item remains the same – the many steeples of the churches that are the foundation of our ancestors who settled along the banks of the Grand River.
Each of these represents our past and the immigrants that settled in our area to give Grand Rapids the nickname “Furniture City”.
In this series you will follow the Steeple Chase throughout this great city and view the awe inspiring architecture of our forefathers. The distinct architectural styles represent the great churches of Europe from which these immigrants fled to find a new life in the United States.
This is not meant to promote any one religion, but to show how all have blended together within the City of Grand Rapids to make this one great place to live.
St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church
St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church was founded in 1949 by Ukrainian immigrants and Americans of Ukrainian descent. Many of these families fled the Ukraine’s control by communists who killed or jailed many Catholics for their religious beliefs in their home country.
Initially the parish met in the basement of St. James Roman Catholic Church or in the kitchen of the adjacent convent. In 1951, the congregation was able to purchase their own church building at the corner of Gold and Sibley Streets where it stands today.
(sources: http://stmichaelgrandrapids.org/, https://www.therapidian.org/ukrainian-catholic-community-struggles-stay-afloat)