Holy Redeemer High School (Detroit)
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Holy Redeemer high school was a 120+ year Roman Catholic school in Southwest Detroit which closed at the demand of the Diocese of Detroit in 2005. The school was founded in 1882 by the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) sisters with the assistance of the Redemptorist Fathers (CSsR). Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish and grade school both remain open and the high school - until the day it closed - was a founding member of the Archdiocese of Detroit Catholic League for Athletics. Located in Southwest Detroit in a multi-cultural neighborhood, near the Ambassador Bridge to Canada, Holy Redeemer High School was responsible for educating thousands of students since its founding. A bedrock of the Southwest Detroit community, Holy Redeemer prided itself in educating students regardless of faith, ethnic background or ability to pay tuition - as far as Holy Redeemer was concerned - there was no such thing as a "bad kid" - only kids seeking the guidance and love that a school like Holy Redeemer excelled in. Many a student has gone on to live a productive and prosperous - where no such life might have existed - were it not for the committed work of the staff and volunteers at Holy Redeemer. In 2002, the entire Parish grounds were recognized as part of the West Vernor/Junction Historic District listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
At its height of enrollment in 1972, Holy Redeemer's student population number was almost 1,000. The Diocese of Detroit in 1971 closed St. Gabriel, All Saints, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Vincent High Schools to make Holy Redeemer the regional Catholic High School for Southwest Detroit, Ecorse and River Rouge. Later - St. Andrews (late 80's) and St. Hedwigs (mid 90's) and St. Alphonsus (early 2000s) all closed leaving Redeemer the only Catholic school remaining on the far west side of Detroit/East Dearborn.
Although over 90% of all Redeemer graduates went on to secondary (college) education and the enrollment of the school was near 200 students the Diocese closed the high school without any input or discussion from the community at large or the staff of the school. At the time of the school's closing the population was approximately 70% Latino, 20% African-American and 10% Caucasian. The student population was approximately 80% Catholic and the number of students going on to college was approximately 90% of the graduating class. As a small school Redeemer excelled at seveal sports over the years including 2 state basketball championships, an individual state championship runner in cross-country, several state finalists for wrestling and numerous district, regional and league championships in all sports.
Prior to closing of the high school, the Redemptorist Fathers who had founded Holy Redeemer parish and school left the parish on/around 2000 and the IHM religious sisters closed their expansive 4-story convent a few years after- due to declining numbers of religious members. The Basilian fathers who administered Holy Redeemer High School for approximately five years until the time of its closing were unable to provide the Diocese of Detroit with a commitment to staff the school for an additional five years as requested by the Diocese to the principal in place at the time of the school's closure: Fr. Joe Redican. What/if any role this played in the eventual decision of the Diocese to close Holy Redeemer High School, as opposed to leaving Redeemer open as the last remaining Diocese High School is unknown.
Unfortunately, even if the Basilian fathers had been able to commit to an additional five years as requested by the Diocese - the Diocese likely would have still closed Redeemer in that the Diocese closed every single Diocese supported school in the City of Detroit and the immediate adjacent surrounding suburbs - an action that is still unprecedented in any other Catholic Diocese in the United States. The Diocese currently operates high schools only in affluent to middle class suburban Detroit communities. The same year Holy Redeemer High School closed, the Basilian Fathers opened a new multi-million dollar Catholic Central High School in an affluent suburb of Detroit - Novi, Michigan. The timing of the opening - although unfortunate - was not related to Holy Redeemer's closure in that the planning and building of the new Catholic Central High School began several years prior to the Archdiocese of Detroit's decision to close Redeemer and all the other Detroit based Catholic schools.
The closing of the school was against the wishes of the students, school administration, faculty and staff and was done so at the mandate of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Other schools closed included: DePorres, St. Catherine Drexel, Notre Dame, St. Clement, East Catholic, Dominican, Bishop Borgess, Bishop Gallagher and a number of grade schools. The Diocese of Detroit which once maintained over 100 high schools throughout the Metro Detroit Region now claims fewer than 15 remaining schools. The majority of students displaced from Holy Redeemer enrolled at St. Frances Cabrini High School in Allen Park, with other students primarily enrolling in Western High School, Southwestern High School and Cesar Chavez High School. The Southwest Detroit community continues to regard the process used to close Holy Redeemer High School as well as the final decision to close with regret and anger.
Holy Redeemer as the last remaining founding parish school member of the Detroit Catholic Athletic League was once considered the premiere school of the Diocese. The colors of Holy Redeemer High School were purple and gold and the mascot was the lion. The address of the High School was 5668 Baker, Detroit, MI 48209 and the campus continues to be located at the corner of Junction and Vernor - where the open grade school remains. A portion of the high school building is currently leased to the group "Covenant House" and is utilized to educate "at risk" children who have prior academic problems, family problems. etc. Thus the building continues to perform its purpose in providing opportunities to those who need it the most. The older portion of the high school - attached to the gym - has been physically walled off from the rest of the school and is vacant. Holy Redeemer grade school and high school was founded in 1882 by the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) sisters and the Redemptorist Fathers (CSsR).
Holy Redeemer Grade School under the direction of the IHM sisters remains open and continues to carry on the tradition of all the many religious orders (IHM sisters, Redemptorist fathers, Basilian fathers and many others over time) who have dedicated themselves to the idea of social justice through actions and deeds.
[edit] References
- Save Redeemer
- Last Days of Redeemer
- GreatSchools.net: Holy Redeemer High School
- Holy Redeemer Grade School
- Most Holy Redeemer Parish
- Holy Redeemer High School profile on schooltree.org]
- Crain's Detroit Business - March 21, 2005, page 1 - Fund raising falls short; Catholic school closings end business efforts to save some schools]
- The Associated Press - March 16, 2005, Wednesday, BC cycle: Archdiocese to close 17 Detroit-area Catholic schools to close
- Godzak, Roman (2004). Catholic Churches in Detroit (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3235-5.
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