New Adoration Chapels Set to Open Around Detroit

The current grotto at St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church, which hosted drive-up Eucharistic adoration for parishioners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo courtesy St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church

In July, thousands of Catholics from across the United States converged on Indianapolis, Indiana, for the National Eucharistic Congress, aiming to re-invigorate passion and devotion by instilling a renewed enthusiasm for the Blessed Sacrament.

The effort has spurred an outpouring of initiatives and projects nationwide encouraging Catholics to return to the “source and summit” of their faith, both through Mass and Eucharistic adoration. In the Archdiocese of Detroit, those efforts have included I AM HERE, a media initiative that shared testimonials of Catholics who attend Eucharistic adoration through stories, podcasts, videos and more.

Inspired by the fruits of the revival, several Detroit-area parishes have increased opportunities for Eucharistic adoration, including St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church in West Bloomfield, where the existing grotto is being expanded into a large stone adoration chapel. The original grotto became especially popular during the pandemic in 2020, when people positioned their cars in front of it and prayed in adoration.

“The St. Thomas community is very inspired by the Eucharist, and because so many more people want access to it, we are expanding the grotto,” said Chris Abbo, a parishioner in construction management who is overseeing the endeavor. “We’ve been blessed with the ability to start the project with funds we had on hand for property improvement, as well as a donor program with brick pavers and benches.”

Fr. Pierre Konja, pastor at St. Thomas, enlisted Abbo’s help with the project, the design for which was inspired by the grotto at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Barring any setbacks, Abbo expects the grotto and the adoration chapel will be completed by the end of the year.

– Detroit Catholic