About us

Two Church Sites - One Community under the patronage of St. Damien of Molokai

St. Damien of Molokai Parish is the first parish in the Pontiac Vicariate of the Archdiocese of Detroit to be formed through a process of merger. In the merger, which took place in 2009, three Pontiac Catholic churches (St. Joseph, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Vincent de Paul) came together as one Parish community under the patronage of St. Damien of Molokai.

St. Michael the Archangel Site is located at 120 Lewis St., Pontiac. The parish was established in 1919. The current structure was erected in 1953. This is the largest of the three churches in our Parish with a seating capacity of 800.

Our St. Vincent de Paul Site is located at 46408 Woodward Ave., Pontiac. This beautifully restored Gothic-style church was built in 1895. It is the oldest Catholic church in the Pontiac Vicariate. It seats about 400 people.

The smallest site was the St. Joseph Site located at 400 South Blvd. West, Pontiac. It was established in 1923 and closed in July 2013. It was the smallest and most intimate of the three Churches in our Parish. Terra Sancta Ministries acquired the property on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, March 25, 2015, and it is now open as St. Joseph’s Chapel and the Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

St. Vincent de Paul Church St. Michael the Archangel Church

St. Damien Canonization Rome 2009. The Michigan Catholic. Fr. Jim Kean, pastor of St. Damien of Molokai Parish, Pontiac, holds up a banner outside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. The parish made the banner for a trip to Rome to see their patron's canonization.