A Marian Parish in Woodhaven
Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church sits on Gudith Road in Woodhaven, a Downriver community of southeast Michigan, and serves 836 registered households under the pastoral care of Fr. Bob Johnson. The parish takes its name from a small painted tile of the Virgin Mary discovered in the woods near Ariccia, Italy in 1621, and its worship, formation, and outreach flow from that centuries-old devotion. As a member of the Downriver Missionaries for Christ Family of Parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit, Our Lady of the Woods shares its priests, programs, and mission with Sacred Heart, St. Cyprian, St. Joseph of Trenton, and St. Roch.
Weekend Mass is offered Saturday evening and twice on Sunday morning, with weekday Mass four days a week, a monthly First Saturday Mass, regular Reconciliation, a monthly Anointing of the Sick, and a livestreamed Sunday liturgy for those who cannot attend in person. Faith formation runs from Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in the preschool atrium through eighth grade, with an OCIA process for adults and a long list of adult enrichment programs. The Music Ministry, anchored by the Voices in Praise ensemble and the New Spirit Singers, supports weekend liturgies as well as weddings and funerals. A St. Vincent dePaul food pantry, a Walking with Moms in Need chapter, a Box of Joy Christmas gift drive, and Stephen Ministry for one-to-one pastoral care put the parish's faith into practice beyond its walls.
Santi Bevilacqua and the Madonna of the Woods
The story of Our Lady of the Woods begins with a poor orphan boy named Santi Bevilacqua. In 1621 he was tending sheep near Lake Albano outside Rome when he stumbled on a half-buried stone wall in the brambles. He fell into the brush, picked himself up, and saw a tile painted with an image of the Madonna. A pious child, he knelt and prayed, then returned the next day with a bouquet of flowers. Soon friends were joining him on the walk to the woods with flowers and hymns. When neighbors complained that the children were disturbing their fruit trees, the children tried to cut a path through the brush and accidentally set it on fire; they were forbidden to return.
Later Santi fell asleep in his uncle's carpenter shop and was nearly crushed under a pile of lumber. He cried out to the Madonna of the Woods and was found unhurt. The uncle investigated the boy's story, confirmed that a wall from an old church stood in the woods, and set about rebuilding a chapel on the site. By 1633 fifteen Masses were being said daily there, and the picture had to be moved to a larger church, a delicate task accomplished by workmen chanting litanies. Plague and cholera passed Galloro by when the people prayed at the shrine, and Our Lady of the Woods remains a place of pilgrimage in Italy. Her feast day is September 5.
The parish in Woodhaven carries her name and her story. A prayer composed for the parish calls on Our Lady of the Woods to intercede "for our parish dedicated to you, that our faith community will walk the path of courage, justice, truth, love and holiness, joining in the spirit of Santi's Uncle and his village who rebuilt the church in your honor from the foundations they found in the woods."
Mass and Reconciliation
Our Lady of the Woods gathers the Christian faithful for Mass on Saturday evening and twice on Sunday morning. The Saturday vigil is celebrated at 4:00 pm; Sunday Masses are at 9:00 am and 11:00 am. The 9:00 am Sunday Mass is also livestreamed on Facebook Live and YouTube for those who cannot be present. Weekday Mass is offered Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:00 am, and a First Saturday Mass is added at 9:00 am on the first Saturday of each month. The 11:00 am Mass on the last Sunday of each month is a special Children's Mass with youth lectors and simple music.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard every Saturday from 3:00 to 3:45 pm in the Confession Room, located on the south side of the church just to the left of the Good Shepherd stained glass window. Confessions can also be made by appointment with Fr. Bob, and additional times are scheduled during the Lenten Mission and Holy Week. Holy Day Mass times are published in The Branch, the parish bulletin, and on the parish calendar.
The Seven Sacraments
The parish celebrates all seven sacraments and prepares candidates thoroughly for each. Adult seekers enter through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), a year-long process of evangelization, precatechumenate, catechumenate, purification and enlightenment, and mystagogy that meets weekly and culminates at the Easter Vigil. OCIA is open to the unbaptized, to Christians from other traditions seeking full communion, and to Catholics who wish to complete their initiation.
For Baptism, at least one parent must be an active, registered member of Our Lady of the Woods for at least three months, a baptized Catholic, and must attend both a Baptism preparation class and a Christian Parenting class. Godparents must be at least sixteen, fully initiated Catholics in good standing, registered members of a Catholic parish, and sacramentally married if married; they must submit a Godparent Form with a parish seal and a recent baptism certificate with sacramental notations. Children preparing for First Communion and First Reconciliation are formed through the parish's elementary catechesis program, and Confirmation is celebrated in the spring of ninth grade after a three-year preparation process that begins in sixth grade and includes classroom formation, candidate and parent sessions, an interview with the Director of Religious Education, and an overnight retreat.
Couples preparing for marriage must have one member of the engaged couple registered at Our Lady of the Woods for a year and must contact the pastor at least six months before the wedding date. The Anointing of the Sick is offered monthly on the second Friday after the 9:00 am Mass, and priests visit homes, hospitals, and nursing homes by appointment for those who are seriously ill, facing surgery, or in spiritual distress.
Faith Formation from Preschool to Adult
Our Lady of the Woods runs a layered formation program that begins in early childhood and extends through adulthood. Preschool and kindergarten children gather in an atrium space for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-inspired approach that respects the young child's capacity for a relationship with God. First through fifth graders meet weekly with a catechist or monthly as a family for traditional catechesis, which includes sacramental preparation for First Communion and Reconciliation. Middle schoolers in sixth through eighth grade join EDGE, a program designed to give youth a safe and fun Catholic community where they can ask hard questions and build a foundation for the high school years.
For adults, the parish offers a long list of programs in addition to OCIA. A Light For Your Path, presented by Pat Butler and Jason Buckley, is a multi-week Scripture study drawing on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, with three parts centered on God's unfolding plan, the living of the covenant, and its fulfillment in Christ. GPS: God, People, & Social Teaching, led by Fr. Bob, navigates the intersection of faith and everyday life through Catholic social teaching, community action, and the call to serve, and meets monthly at Our Lady of the Woods and at St. Roch. The Beauty in the Brushstrokes explores Mary, Mother of God through her image in art across cultures and centuries, and Hearing Our Mother in the Notes contemplates the spiritual richness of Marian music. Memories of Our Lady of the Woods is a special series reflecting on the first fifty years of parish life, led by Pat Butler and current and former parishioners. Online formation is available through Formed, which the parish makes available free to its members with videos, audio talks, e-books, and study programs on Scripture, the sacraments, saints, and Catholic life. Parishioners can also pick up a copy of Bishop Robert Barron's "How to Share Your Faith" ebook from Word on Fire, and Walking with Purpose Bible Study is offered as another option.
Music That Lifts the Heart
Music at Our Lady of the Woods draws on a long tradition of instrumentalists and singers who share their gifts to give glory to God. The Music Ministry ensemble includes bass guitar, electric and acoustic guitar, percussion, keyboard, piano, cello, violin, and flute. Two vocal groups carry much of the music each weekend. Voices in Praise (VIP) is a small but mighty ensemble formed during the pandemic before public Mass resumed, with the vocal talents of Sean Pigott, Danielle Van Assche, and John Michalski under the direction of Music Director Bob Amore. The New Spirit Singers is a contemporary Christian music group whose name was chosen by one of the original members on Pentecost in the 1970s, when the parish itself was being formed. The core members are Mike Casagrande on guitar, bass, and tenor vocals, Jan Zarbaugh on guitar and alto vocals, Greg Thole on percussion, Norm Andresen on bass, and singers Lucy Navin and Diana Markin. The New Spirit Singers have served the parish for more than thirty years and have sung at numerous weddings and services, as well as in local theater and concerts.
For weddings, the parish Music Ministry offers a long menu of selections. Processional pieces include Schubert's Ave Maria, Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Morning Has Broken, Pachelbel's Canon in D, Clarke's Trumpet Tune and Trumpet Voluntary, Handel's Hornpipe, Mouret's Rondeau, and Mendelssohn's Wedding March. Offertory and communion songs include contemporary favorites such as Behold the Lamb, Here at This Table, The Supper of the Lord, One Bread One Body, and You Are Mine, alongside more traditional selections such as Taste and See, The Prayer of St. Francis, I Have Loved You, and All I Ask of You. A similar list is provided for funeral Masses, where families may choose from hymns like Amazing Grace / My Chains Are Gone, Be Not Afraid, Hail Mary: Gentle Woman, Here I Am Lord, On Eagle's Wings, and Precious Lord, Take My Hand, with Responsorial Psalm options from Psalms 23, 25, 27, and 91.
Outreach to the Hungry, the Pregnant, and the Grieving
Service to neighbors in need runs through several coordinated ministries. The Margaret Venturi Memorial Food Pantry, operated by the parish's St. Vincent dePaul conference, distributes food and offers material assistance to families in the local community. The pantry is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 am to noon and is closed on holidays; those seeking help are invited to leave a message at the parish and a Vincentian will respond.
Walking with Moms in Need is a parish chapter of a nationwide initiative that walks alongside pregnant and parenting mothers in difficult circumstances, connecting them with practical resources and offering authentic Christian friendship. Pregnant women and new mothers who reach out are paired with volunteer companions who accompany them throughout the motherhood journey. Box of Joy, a Christmas giving project of Cross Catholic Outreach, fills shoeboxes with toys, clothing, school supplies, a rosary, and The Story of Jesus for children in developing countries such as Haiti, Malawi, and the Dominican Republic. Parishioners fill boxes in the weeks before Christmas as a tangible witness of Christ's love to children who may never have received a Christmas gift.
Stephen Ministry provides one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people in the congregation and the community facing life difficulties, including the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or a divorce. Stephen Ministers are lay volunteers trained to listen and to accompany, and they can be reached through the parish office. The Homebound Ministry sends Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to parishioners who are housebound, in nursing homes, or in assisted living facilities within parish boundaries so that they can remain connected to the Eucharistic table each week.
The Christian Service Commission coordinates the parish's response to human needs locally and throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit, the state, and the world, working with Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, Catholic Relief Services, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and other agencies. Its educational responsibilities include teaching Catholic social teaching, gathering information about community needs, and bringing parishioners to awareness of justice issues; its ministerial responsibilities include supporting parish social ministry programs, developing new programs where needs are unmet, and training volunteers; its administrative responsibilities include coordinating the response to national Catholic action programs and modeling good stewardship.
Rosaries, Mothers, and Quiet Hours of Prayer
Prayer is woven into the life of the parish in many small ways. The Rosary Makers gather on the second Monday of each month to craft rosaries that are blessed and then distributed throughout the parish and to organizations in need. Their craft is both devotional and communal: a way to pray while serving. Rosary Around the Campus meets weekly on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm, rain or shine, walking the property with Mary in mind. The Millions of Monicas Prayer Group meets on the first Monday of each month in the church, gathering mothers, grandmothers, aunts, godmothers, and spiritual mothers to intercede for their children and loved ones and to ask for the gentle return of those who have drifted from the faith. Rooted in the Example of St. Monica is a quiet prayer group with a similar spirit, open to women who want to lift intentions to God in a structured hour of communal prayer.
The Vocations Committee keeps the question of priesthood, consecrated life, marriage, and single life before the parish and offers practical suggestions for parents and families who want to foster openness to God's call. The parish points to the Detroit Priestly Vocations office, the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the Permanent Diaconate, and Consecrated Life as resources, and encourages parishioners to pray for seminarians and for priests in difficulty. Each month the Holy Father's prayer intention is shared through the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, with materials in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Parish Life, Fellowship, and the Catholic Women
Our Lady's Catholic Women is the parish's women's organization, led by a board of officers. The group sponsors three signature gatherings each year. Music Bingo combines songs and bingo cards for a friendly evening of competition in the Fr. Phalen Social Hall; the Advent Tea welcomes the Advent season with music, fellowship, and an inspirational speaker; and Lenten Soup & Salad offers a quiet evening of reflection leading into Holy Week. Meeting minutes are posted online so that all parishioners can follow the work of the board.
Men in the parish have their own fraternity. The Knights of Columbus Msgr. Eppenbrock Council #3615 joins the parish's Catholic men into a worldwide brotherhood dedicated to charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. Fishers of Men is the parish men's ministry that supports men in growing as Catholic disciples. For young adults, the parish has a dedicated coordinator who can be reached through the parish office.
Children have a special place at the parish beyond the monthly Children's Mass. At the 9:00 am and 11:00 am Sunday Masses, the Children's Liturgy of the Word dismisses children pre-K through third grade to hear the readings from the Children's Lectionary and receive a take-home prayer sheet; they return to the assembly during the Prayers of the Faithful to be present for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Families who send their children to area Catholic grade schools or Catholic high schools can apply for support through the parish's Tuition Assistance Program, established in 2021; since 2022-2023 the parish has issued twenty-nine awards to active parish families.
A Family of Parishes on the Downriver
Our Lady of the Woods is one of five parishes that together make up the Downriver Missionaries for Christ Family of Parishes. The family includes Sacred Heart, St. Cyprian, St. Joseph of Trenton, St. Roch, and Our Lady of the Woods, all in the Downriver region southwest of Detroit. Each parish retains its own identity, staff, and stewardship, while the priests, deacons, and lay staff share their gifts and talents more intentionally across the family in service of a common missionary strategy.
The family is led by Fr. Marc Gawronski, the Family Moderator and parish priest of Sacred Heart, St. Cyprian, and St. Joseph, and by Fr. Bob Johnson, parish priest of Our Lady of the Woods and St. Roch. They are joined by two other priests in solidum, Fr. Greg Banazak and Fr. Gary Morelli. Family-level directors include Mrs. Sue Biedlingmaier, Director of Mission Support, and Mr. Sean Calvin, Director of Discipleship Formation. The Family Pastoral Council brings together two parishioners from each parish and all assigned priests; the Family Finance Team handles common expense budgets; and the Family Leadership Team coordinates the major areas of ministry.
The family concept, known in the Archdiocese of Detroit as Families of Parishes, is part of the implementation of Synod 16 and the Unleash the Gospel pastoral letter. It is the working model through which the priests and parishes of the Downriver share resources, formation, and mission for the long term.
Visiting Our Lady of the Woods
For first-time visitors, the parish welcomes questions about what to expect. Mass is celebrated at 4:00 pm on Saturday and at 9:00 am and 11:00 am on Sunday, with weekday Mass at 9:00 am on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. The parish is located at 21892 Gudith Road in Woodhaven, and parking is available behind the church, with handicap-accessible and van-accessible spaces reserved near the entrance.
The dress code is relaxed. In summer it is not uncommon to see people in sandals, shorts, and a shirt, though others still wear their Sunday best; the parish asks that shorts be of a conservative length and that clothing be respectable in general. Worship aids with the order of Mass, the postures, and the words of the prayers are placed in each pew; if one is missing, an usher will happily bring one. Non-Catholics are warmly welcomed to Mass but asked not to receive Holy Communion; those who do not receive are invited to come forward with arms crossed over their chests to receive a blessing from the priest. Children of all ages are welcome in the pews.
Visitors are not expected to put money in the offering, but anyone wishing to register as a member of the parish can pick up a form in the Gathering Space. Registration connects a household to the parish's religious, social, and ministerial activities and helps shape the parish's life and schedule. The Parish Office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 pm during standard hours, with summer hours of Monday through Thursday 9:00 am to noon. The Faith Formation Office keeps its own hours on Monday and Tuesday from 3:00 to 8:00 pm, Wednesday by appointment, and Thursday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. In the event of inclement weather, the parish offices follow the closure of the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District.
Safe Environment and Sacrificial Giving
Our Lady of the Woods follows the Archdiocese of Detroit's Safe Environment policies. All paid employees, stipend individuals, coaches, catechists, shared-time teachers, Vacation Bible School staff, lunchroom and playground volunteers, and tutors must complete Protecting God's Children training, which is offered live in person, live via Zoom, or through a self-paced online awareness module. Returning volunteers whose last certification predates January 1, 2020 must complete the updated online module. Background checks are run through the Michigan State Police ICHAT system for all employees and volunteers who work with children and vulnerable adults. Children in kindergarten through twelfth grade receive age-appropriate safe environment lessons through Virtus' Empowering God's Children program, with two lessons taught each year in faith formation, school, or teen groups. High school students wishing to volunteer at any AOD parish or school must complete the Healthy Relationships for Teens 2.0 online module. Reports of abuse can be made through the Archdiocesan Office of Safe Environments.
The parish participates each year in the Catholic Services Appeal, the Archdiocese of Detroit's annual giving drive that supports vocations, Catholic schools, family programs, and parish improvement refunds. The 2026 parish goal is $90,699, with 216 of 836 registered households contributing at a participation rate of 22.21%. Online giving is available through the parish's secure Vanco portal, and recurring gifts can be set up by check or cash during Mass as well.
The Mission-Ready Process
Our Lady of the Woods is currently participating in the Archdiocese of Detroit's Mission-Ready Families of Parishes process, a prayerful, Spirit-guided effort of restructuring parishes and ministries under the direction of Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron and continued under Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger. The process rests on three foundational pillars: vibrant parishes, flourishing priests, and a mission-ready people sent to proclaim the Gospel beyond parish walls. Each Family of Parishes is being led through a season of discernment about how best to align its clergy, ministries, and physical resources to ensure a sustainable Catholic presence in southeast Michigan for generations to come.
The parish has appointed a Primary Point of Contact and a slate of Key Parish Leaders to share information and host listening sessions. Parishioners are invited to register for listening sessions, review the parish workbook, and share their thoughts, comments, and suggestions directly with parish leaders. The timeline is one of accompaniment: a reduction in parochial footprints may be necessary, with parish community mergers or church building closures possible, but the essential elements of parish life (the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacraments of Healing and Initiation, vocations, Catholic schools, religious education, engagement with those on the margins, and loving community) will continue. As Archbishop Vigneron has written, "We are not alone; we do not walk alone. We are part of the one flock of Christ that walks together."