The Early Years. In January 1946, Father John Collins began his pastoral duties by organizing a census; the final count was 456 Catholic households in an area bounded by Three Mile Road, Fuller Avenue, Knapp Street and the Grand River. These were Father Collins&apos; charter members; he celebrated the first Blessed Sacrament Parish Mass on February 16th at the Veterans Facility with 151 persons in attendance.
March was a very busy month. The Roxy Theatre at 2150 Plainfield Avenue was rented; the first Masses were celebrated on March 17, 1946, the honorary anniversary date of the parish. To those in attendance, Mass in a theatre was quite a novelty. Before Sunday worship, volunteers cleaned out the Saturday night popcorn and debris left by the movie crowd. Parish men met and agreed to form an Ushers&apos; Club. The parish took steps to purchase the Roxy Theatre, with full occupancy expected in mid-April.
By September the movie equipment was removed and the Blessed Sacrament was reserved continually in the new church, which was fondly nicknamed "St. Roxy&apos;s". Father Collins settled into the projection room, envied by many for his air-conditioned "home". Major remodeling began at the Roxy Theatre in February of 1947 and in March the Holy Name Society kicked off an Improvement Fund drive for $25,000. Remodeling work continued on weekdays; each weekend volunteers cleaned up plaster dust and dirt before Sunday worship. The new church was solemly blessed on July 15th by Monsignor Malome in Bishop Haas&apos; name.
The parishioner&apos;s tradition of gift-giving began immediately. A 1947 entry lists the donation by eight families of Stations of the Cross at a cost of $40 each. Inspection of our oldests photos of "St. Roxy&apos;s" shows those stations on the walls of our first church. They were subsequently moved to the Diamond Avenue location and finally, placed in the present church building. There is special joy in this visible conection between the charter members and today&apos;s parishioners as they give witness to their generosity of almost 70 years ago.
Journal entries by Father Collins in 1948 related simple facts of the church activities. Family life focused on the parish as the center for worship and social events. A "Beano party" netted profits of $556 and a school fund was started. Men and women of the parish sponsored a variety of fund raisers for both debt reduction and future projects.
In June, Father Collins was granted an indefinite leave of absence for health reasons, and Father Edward Eardley assumed temporary pastoral duties. On July 13th, a deal initiated by Father Collins with the City of Grand Rapids to purchase a property enclosed by Diamond Avenue, Eleanor and Evelyn Streets was finalized. The parish paid the City Commission $6,870 for the 6.87 acre parcel. Father Collins returned to his pastoral duties in September.
The year 1949 began with the Bishop attending the kick-off meeting of our School Drive. Father Collins and parishioner Felix Sawosko were co-chairmen; the goal was $100,000, with an average of $600 per family to be paid over a three-year period. Parish records disclosed that ongoing activities continued to promote fellowship while earning money for parish projects. In March, a School Drive Victory Luncheon was held at the parish hall and $82,175.81 had been pledged. In May the first Parish Festival was held (with a raffle prize of a new Chevrolet); the profit of $4,300 was added to the School Fund. On June 28th, building contracts were signed with Storm Construction as general contractor. Work was started on the property, anticipating completion in January.
On Octobr 23rd, the bishop presided over the long-awaited laying of the cornerstone for our new school (today&apos;s east wing). Social and fund-raising events continued with great regularity. Members often offered their homes as the site for these activities, with a school for the parish childeren as the goal.
A change in Leadership. In July 1950 Monsignor Anthony Arszulowicz replaced Father John Collins. On September 5, 1950, a parish dream was realized with the official opening of Blessed Sacrament School; the Sisters of the Order of St. Dominic of Grand Rapids, based on the Marywood Campus, came to teach in our classrooms. The day began with 8:00 am Mass for about 250 students. Religious instruction classes also were started for public school students.
School opened in 1956 with Sr. Kenneth, O.P. in the dual role of principal and eighth grade teacher, with a mix of religious and lay staff; a continued lack of space kept the first grade class at St. John&apos;s Home. The Grand Rapids Diocese set a salary requirement for the sisters serving in the parishes. They were to be paid $75 per month on a 10-month basis. In December, two nearby houses on Elenaor Street were purchased. They were joined and these became our parish convent. Furnishings were provided with cash gifts from the Ladies Guild and the Holy Name Society treasuries, and a "convent shower" was held which allowed everyone to participate.
Due to the shortage of classroom space, the difficult decision was made to begin our education program for the 1958-59 school year with the second grade. Catechetical instruction was provided for the first grade students attending public school. It was decided that the second and fourth grades would have to be taught at St. John&apos;s Home. Tuition payments of $30 per family were initiated, effective September 1959, and payable to the teacher at $1 per week.
The obvious need for classroom space lead to plans for yet another expansion program. In August of 1958, the Roxy Theatre property was sold for $20,000, and the mortgage income helped meet the expenses of the new addition. On September 30, 1960, the cornerstone for the new building was blessed; in October, parishioners attended an open house at the new building with its eight classrooms (today&apos;s west wing). Our pastor&apos;s notes state that, with about 850 parish families and 572 students in our school,"...we have reached our potential".
New Church Construction and Dedication. The church completed in 1952 was always planned as a temporary faciliaty. A separate church building remainded a dream; a late 1970&apos;s fund raising program allowed construction of a new rectory and parish office. At last, a 1987 campaign raised funds for a new church. The 1988 groundbreaking was followed by the 1989 cornerstone and dedication ceremonies.
Now and into the Future. In the 2000&apos;s our parish faced a challenge that many Catholic Church&apos;s are experiencing. With escalating costs, Catholic school enrollment declining, and an impending shortage of priests, parishioners are facing a future very different from that which our earlier members could have foreseen. The decision was made to consolidate the four northend parish schools into one new school, and in 2008-2009 All Saints Academy became the combined school for St. Alphonsus, St. Isidore, Blessed Sacrament and St. Jude parishes. Two campuses, Blessed Sacrament and St. Jude, were chosen to house the new school, with pre-school through 4th grade to be held at Blessed Sacrament and 5th through 8th grade to be held at St. Jude.
The one constant in this time of change is a thankful spirit for all those whose sacrifice established and nurtured Blessed Sacrament, and a continuing commitment to preserve their legacy of faith and vision. We thank God for the charter members whose love and sacrifice established Blessed Sacrament Parish. We give thanks and praise to God for His many blessings through the past 71 years and pray that we may continue to grow and pass on our commitment to future parishioners of Blessed Sacrament.