[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6052-6053]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



RECOGNITION OF THE 125TH BIRTHDAY OF ST. MARY PARISH OF NEW BALTIMORE, 
                                MICHIGAN

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask that the Senate join me today 
in congratulating the St. Mary Parish of New Baltimore, MI on their 
upcoming one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary. Since 1876, the St. 
Mary's has been serving the spiritual needs of it's congregation as 
well as the community at large.
  The history of St. Mary Parish is too long and rich for me to recount 
here in full, but it is important to point out that New Baltimore has 
been home to a Catholic community since 1805, when ``horseback 
priests'' from Canada and Detroit would come to minister in private 
homes. It was in 1876, as America was celebrating its centennial, that 
Father Aloysius Lambert was appointed the first resident pastor and the 
St. Mary Parish was born. Father Lambert worked to establish a church 
and chapel, a grade school and a rectory. Other important events in the 
history of the Parish include the mortgage being paid off and burned in 
1938, the addition of a war memorial shrine in 1949, and the completion 
of a new gymnasium in 1951. This gymnasium would serve as a temporary 
church when the 83 year old building burned to the ground in 1958. In 
1963, the cornerstone was laid in what was now to be known as St. Mary 
Queen of Creation.
  The 1960's also saw the creation of a new mission for St. Mary 
Parish. A chapter of St. Vincent de Paul was opened to serve the needs 
of the poor in New Baltimore and seventh-grader Mary Jane Plague began 
a music ministry. This legacy of community stewardship grew with the 
addition of Sister Loretta Demick to the St. Mary Parish in 1974. 
Sister Demick began what was known as Sister Loretta's Closet, which 
helped feed the poor, elderly and infirmed of the Parish. Also in 1974, 
the former convent was turned into a home for women who are 
developmentally disabled. People with special needs are still being 
served in this

[[Page 6053]]

building, and it is known as the Horizons Residential Centers. In the 
last decade, the St. Mary Parish has expanded outreach programs to help 
the homeless and those with HIV/AIDS.
  Over the years, St. Mary Parish has grown from a few families to 
thousands of parishioners and along the way has dedicated itself to 
bettering the lives of everyone in its community. The community of New 
Baltimore and all of Macomb County have benefitted from many good deeds 
and continuing works of generosity that the St. Mary Parish has 
undertaken. I trust that my Senate colleagues will join me in wishing 
St. Mary Parish a happy one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary, and 
hoping that the next century and a quarter are as fruitful as the 
last.

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