St. Vincent de Paul Church (Pontiac, Michigan)

The St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church, Convent, and School is a historic church located at 46408 Woodward Avenue in Pontiac, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1987 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.HistoryThe parish of St. Vincent DePaul was established in 1851, covering all of Oakland County and parts of the surrounding counties. The first church used by the parish was located on North Saginaw Street in Pontiac. In 1866, the church moved to a location on Oakland Avenue at Lafayette. The church continued to grow, and in the 1880s, the Reverend Fridolin Baumgartner began raising funds for the construction of the present church. The congregation hired the Detroit architecture firm of Donaldson & Meier to design the church, and the cornerstone was laid on September 6, 1885.The church was dedicated two years later, on September 18, 1887. A 6600-pound bell was installed in the church in 1890. A rectory was constructed in 1895, a school building was added in 1897, and a parish hall in 1911. The school was replaced with another structure in 1923, and a convent was added in 1926. The school operated until 1969, when it closed.In 1999, the diocese merged the St. Vincent de Paul parish with two other local parishes (St. Joseph and St. Michael the Archangel) to form the St Damien of Molokai parish, following the beatification of Father Damien in 1995. The Belgian-born priest was known for his work for 16 years with Hawaiians with leprosy at a colony on Molokai. Father Damien was canonized as a Catholic saint in 2009, the tenth person recognized by the church in the United States. The St. Vincent de Paul church continues to serve the parish.