Sacred to our Heart

    We started our day by going to the Sacred Heart Parish for the Catholic mass. We really enjoyed how welcoming the community was and the friendliness of everyone. The service was so lively and the singing was incredible! Towards the middle of the service, the priest of the church invited us on stage where we were hugged and welcomed by the church. After the service, we were able to talk to some of the people who have been going to the church since they were young.
   
      After mass, we headed back to the retreat center where we ate some lunch before leaving for the Detroit Historical Museum. The museum was amazing and gave a great perspective on the growth and development of the city. In my country of Iraq, Detroit is famous for the cars so it was really neat being able to see the development of the “Motor City”. The ground floor of the museum was the best part of the museum, preserving what the city looked like in the 1800s.
   
     After the museum, we drove to Corktown and walked around one of the city blocks undergoing gentrification. It was astounding to see the difference between one updated building among other buildings that have been foreclosed.
 
     To end the day, we traveled back to the retreat center, made dinner, and had some amazing conversations. Our reflection tonight dealt around the 1967 riots in Detroit leading to the further segregation of the city that is still seen today. Overall, it was an amazing day and the group can’t wait to start our volunteering tomorrow!

-Asla Alkhafaji