The historic Holy Family Church in Downtown Detroit for a mass, with a small fellowship following. After fellowship we will go to the base of the statue at Randolf an Jefferson to lay a wreath at the base of the bust of Columbus.
Columbus Day Mass Followed by Statue Ceremony
Father Giuseppe Licciardi and the Columbus Day Celebration Committee welcomes everyone to join them as they celebrate a special Columbus Day Mass which will be held on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 11:30 a.m. in Detroit.
The event will take place at Holy Family Catholic Church, located at 641 Chrysler Drive (the I-375/Chrysler Freeway Service Drive) in Detroit. For further directions, call Holy Family at (313) 963-2046.
Cookies and coffee have been organized by the Committee that will immediately follow the Mass in the Church Hall. All who attend the Mass are welcome.
Following the breakfast reception, at approximately 1:15 p.m., the community is asked to gather at the Columbus Monument at the foot of Randolph on Jefferson Avenue (across from the Renaissance Center) in downtown Detroit for a brief wreath ceremony and dedication.
The bust of Columbus was donated to the city of Detroit in 1910 by the Italian community in and around Detroit. The major force behind the project was Vincenzo Guiliano, original editor of the Italian Tribune, who began the initiative in order to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of Columbus in 1906. Materials and shipping costs amounted to around $ 2,300, but the sculptor, Augusto Rivalta, donated his work.
Columbus Day activities take place yearly at the base of the statue.