Our Lady of Victory: The Saga of an African-American Catholic Community

Do you remember 1943?

It was the year Our Lady of Victory was founded in a storefront in the midst of a developing West Eight Mile Community still reeling from the effects of the worst race riot in Detroit’s history. It is a fascinating and historic account of growing up in a church that was doomed to end as quickly as it began. Did you know that it was unheard of to assign Archdiocesan priests to Black Churches? So it was historic when in 1946 Fr. Alvin Deem a Franciscan missionary priest was removed and replaced by Fr. Hubert Roberge, an archdiocesan priest. While Fr. Roberge was the right priest at the time, it began a series of events that caused the failure of this parish to thrive.

What started out as the author's attempt to honor the early pioneers and recapture lost history turns into a revealing look at the inner workings of the Archdiocese of Detroit. The book chronicles the account of the lost Black Catholic communities in Detroit as told from the fascinating, personal perspective of the author. Her incredible encounter with history is captured by focusing on one church in one community. She uncovers a pattern of spiritual neglect in four black communities. Armed with knowledge, one can attempt to find solutions to the devastating impact this neglect has had on the region. This is the Saga of an African-American Catholic Community!