A Year With Mary
On October 12, 2026, guests gathered at the former Precious Blood Church in Detroit to celebrate Mass and honor Mary, Our Lady of the Pillar, on her feast day.
Following Mass and Eucharistic Adoration, Fr. Joseph Mallia carried the monstrance in a silent procession across the street to the site of the original Church of the Precious Blood, pausing before a stone engraved nearly a century ago. The words inscribed on the stone were read aloud:
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”
The words of David 3,000 years ago as a part of the Psalms of Ascent.
Afterwards, guests gathered in Mary’s Banquet Hall for supper and an evening of fellowship, hospitality, and music. They were invited to spend a year with Mary. Each guest received a copy of A Year with Mary: Daily Meditations on the Mother of God and a journal to accompany them on their journey to grow closer to Jesus through His Mother.
Mass
Celebrant
Fr. Joseph Mallia, Moderator and Priest in Solidum, St. Kieran, Shelby Township, and Organizer of the Rising from the Ashes Revival
Concelebrants
Fr. Marco Kiyan, PES, Moderator and Priest in Solidum, St. Scholastica and Presentation/Our
Lady of Victory Parishes, Detroit, and Full-time Support Priest, Corpus Christi Parish, Detroit
Fr. Joseph Barron, PES, Moderator and Priest in Solidum, St. Isaac Jogues, St. Clair Shores
Fr. Damien Gjonaj, OSB, Prior, St. Benedict Monastery, Oxford
Fr. Vincent Nwanze, Full-time Support Pastor, St. Lawrence, Utica; Complete Life Mentor,
Cornerstone Schools
Fr. John Phelps, C.Ss.R., Pastor St. Peter Claver, Detroit; Co-Founder & CEO of Life Directions
Jesus Is Present
The Eucharist makes its way through the adoring congregation during the procession.
Our Lady of the Pillar
Clark Durant, founder of Notre Dame de Détroit, reveals the statue of Our Lady of the Pillar
A Personal Message from Clark Durant
Thank you for joining us on Monday, October 12th, the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Pillar.
What a night!
Mass, beautiful prayers, and scripture readings that spoke of our Blessed Mother.
Our Eucharistic Procession, then the reading of words carved in stone, first spoken by David more
than 3,000 years ago, a reading richly relevant to us today.
Supper with old and new friends.
A call to spend a year with Mary, and why we need to do so.
By the way, did you love the two books?
So many people came together, a great encouragement to us all.
What we began together on Monday will not end there.
Our Blessed Mother will draw us closer to her Son. She will equip us to tell her story and her Son's
story so much better. Then people will come.
Let us get to know one another. Tell me why you came. What did you take away?
My wife and I have started our daily reading in the book A Year with Mary. The back cover of the
book gives some helpful hints about how to do it. And yes, we are making notes in our journal.
Yesterday I went to visit a man in his late nineties, a longtime good servant of God. He is tended to
by some wonderful caregivers. I shared with him the details of Monday's gathering. He was deeply
moved, as if he were hearing an answer to a prayer he had said so long ago.
Stay in touch. Reply to this email. Tell me your thoughts. The harvest is ripe and the laborers are few.
We are a special family in formation. Perhaps that is why God called us together on a day that
would honor His mother: to encourage us at the start of a new journey.
Clark