Welcome Message from the Pastor
Hello! You may not know me yet. But I am sure soon you will. I am Fr. Charles Morris and I am the new
administrator at St. Mary. So you can get to know me a little let me tell you a little about myself.
I am a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit. I was ordained in 1983 (in addition to my Divinity Degree I
have Masters Degrees in Sociology and in Urban Planning) and have served at parishes from Redford to St.
Clair Shores to Pontiac to Wyandotte. I had been an adjunct professor at Madonna University from 2010
through 2013. For the last four years I have been a full-time assistant professor in the Department of
Religious Studies and Philosophy at Madonna. My ministries over the years include: chaplain of Native
American ministries for the Archdiocese of Detroit from 1994-2001, planning and rehabilitation commission
for the City of Wyandotte (2000-2006), founder and first director of Michigan Interfaith Power & Light
(2003-2008). In addition, I have served on the Board of the Green Burial Council, vision keeper for Great
Lakes Bioneers Detroit, and other social justice/sustainability initiatives. I am no stranger to Detroit
or to Trinity Vicariate. I served as administrator at St. Christopher (a few miles south of here) from
2010 through 2013. My salary and benefits will still come through Madonna. St. Mary will contribute to
my pension. The upshot is that even though my faculty/teaching commitments at Madonna will prohibit me
from full-time ministry at St. Mary the good news is that since the pension is the only obligation (other
than housing) of St. Mary we will be able as a parish to remain in the black. In addition, my academic
schedule means I will have the summer off from those teaching duties. This means once school gets out
we will be seeing a lot of each other. At that time I want to get out and meet some neighbors. When I
was at St. Christopher I connected with the area community organization. I hope to make similar connections
while I am assigned here. Some of my hobbies includes: biking and hiking, nature and visiting museums.
In May as part of Madonna's Study Abroad program another professor, some students and I will be visiting
some of the sites in England, Wales and Scotland associated with King Arthur. I hope to bring back some
photos and stories to share with you.
Thanks for the terrific hospitality and warmth of the St. Mary community. I feel at home already and I
look forward to dreaming together a common vision as going forward we boldly witness to the Kingdom of God.
Father Charles Morris
